Hunter's Kitchen
by Maxcs
Summary: Blaine moved on with his life after Kurt walked out on him and their 3 month old son. He moved to Georgetown, Washington DC, opened the restaurant he'd always dreamed of and was raising his son Hunter with the help of his gorgeous surgeon boyfriend. He was happy. He was happy until He Who Won't Be Named walked into 'Hunter's Kitchen' Klaine!AU Not a HP crossover, read to understand
1. Chapter 1

"Dad?" Hunter asked quietly as his father walked past where he was sitting at the bar.

"One second, bud" Blaine insisted as he took the crate of wine glasses he had in his hands out to the kitchen. A slow part of the day before the dinner shift, he was just trying to get organised. Returning to the bar he leant on the counter in front of his seven year old with a smile "What's up?"

"Never mind, you're busy"

"Hunter..."

"I just need help with a math problem but Nikita has been waving for you to help her for like 5 minutes"

Blaine peered back at one of his younger bar staff knowing she probably had a genuine problem being new to the hospitality business. Thankful that his bar manager and old friend, Sam caught his attention, Blaine asked him to deal with Nikita.

He got to spend such limited time with his son, Blaine wanted to help the bright eyed seven year old with his homework.

"Ok, so what's the first question?"

Blaine Anderson, 29, ran and owned a successful little restaurant and bar in Georgetown, Washington DC called 'Hunter's Kitchen'. Even though he originally went to college for music, Blaine's passion turned to cooking and hospitality after the arrival of his son. From then, his whole world was his son and that restaurant.

Blaine had been a single father since Hunter was 3 months old so it had been just the two of them for the last 7 years. Best friends, Blaine and Hunter were inseparable. Even when Blaine finally started dating again (after years of Sam's encouragement), nothing could separate the Anderson pair. Austin Jefferson-James figured that it was easier to join in then fight the bond that those two shared.

"Do you understand it a little better now bud?" Blaine asked as his son continued with his homework. He was a smart kid but sometimes numbers stumped him.

"Sort of, I guess"

"Do you think you could do the next few on your own?"

The seven year old looked around and saw the restaurant start to fill with hungry customers. That was his Dad's cue to get back to work. He nodded "Is Austin going to be here soon?"

"Good timing, he's walking through the door now" Blaine smiled as his boyfriend of 3 years walked into the restaurant. Still dressed in his scrubs, the surgical resident looked exhausted much like he did after a long shift. "Saved from homework for now but I want it done before bed ok?"

"Ok" Hunter giggled happy to get away from his worksheet for a while. The second grader loved school and usually enjoyed doing his homework but math just wasn't his strong subject. A determined little boy, he knew he would conquer it one day.

Austin made his way over to the bar and covered Hunter's eyes before leaning over to kiss his boyfriend. "Hi"

"Hi" Blaine repeated happily. On back to back shifts at the hospital, Austin hadn't been home for 2 days. Both were so happy to see each other that one syllable was enough.

"You don't have to cover my eyes, I know what you're doing" Hunter laughed as Austin pulled him into a gentle hug.

"You're just too clever aren't you?"

"Sometimes" he shrugged sadly thinking back to his homework. Confused, it only took a glance at Hunter's Superman backpack from Blaine for the young doctor to understand. A usually bright and cheerful kid, nothing brought Hunter down quite like math.

"Did you forget about the Yankees v Indians game tonight?" Austin smiled knowing baseball would cheer Hunter up almost instantly.

It didn't take long for the seven year old to crack a smile and start jabbering on about his favourite players and their statistics. Blaine ushered the pair to their usual booth and turned the TV over to the game.

XXXXX

"Excuse me bartender, can I get a Coke for me and a glass of water for my wingman" Austin chuckled as he sat down at the bar right in front of Blaine. Still watching the Yankees game, he and Hunter had finished their dinner Blaine had cooked himself and were almost ready to go back to their apartment. Living with Blaine for almost a year now, Austin wasn't unfamiliar with picking Hunter up from the restaurant and doing the bath and bed routine with the seven year old.

"You look like you could use something stronger. Bad day at the hospital?"

"No worse than usual" the young doctor sighed softly "I'm just tired and I don't think alcohol will really help especially with Hunter back in his funk over his homework. I shouldn't have suggested he finished it before we went home"

"You're amazing, you know that?" Blaine smiled leaning on the bar

"For upsetting your son about his math homework?"

"For how you are with him, the not drinking and trying to get him to finish that worksheet. You're passing 'Dad Training' with flying colours"

"Step-Dad Training. I don't want to replace... Hunter's other Dad" Austin shrugged catching himself before he said Blaine's ex-fiance's name. It was kind of like Voldemort in Harry Potter. Austin was almost scared to say his name fearing the reaction from Blaine.

"Hunter doesn't have another father" Blaine snapped quickly but softened as he looked up at his innocent boyfriend "I don't consider him that, not anymore"

"But he was there when you decided to have Hunter; he was there through the pregnancy..."

"And he walked out when my son was 3 months old. That's not the kind of role model I want for him" Blaine sighed softly. Reaching across the bar and taking Austin's hand gently, he rubbed his thumb over the doctors palm "Hunter is so lucky to have someone like you in his life... And so am I. I love you"

"I love you too" Austin smiled and pressed a soft kiss to Blaine's knuckles before letting out a soft yawn. He couldn't hold it back any more, he was exhausted. "I think it's time Hunter and I went home"

"Sounds like a good idea" the young restaurant owner chuckled softly "Text me when you get home so I know you're both ok"

"Yes dear"

"And don't worry about Hunter's homework; I'll finish it with him in the morning"

"Yes dear"

"And sleep without a shirt on please. It'll be something nice for me to come home to"

"Yes dear"

Austin gave Blaine one last tired smile before returning to the booth where Hunter was pretending to mull over a problem when someone was looking.

"You ready to head home, bud?"

"No more math?"

"You can finish it with your Dad in the morning"

Quickly stuffing his worksheet and pencil case into his backpack, Hunter jumped off his seat with a bright smile.

"I'll take that as a yes" Austin laughed and ruffled the seven year old's chocolate curls. The splitting image of his father, Hunter only possessed the slight Latina tan and dark eyes of his biological mother.

Blaine said goodbye to his two boys and watched them leave before heading back to work. Wishing he could go with them, the young restaurant owner did regret the time he spent away from both Hunter and Austin. Blaine had a good collection of staff though so he could spend time with his family without worrying the restaurant will crumble. Tonight sadly wasn't one of those lenient nights, maybe tomorrow.

"Another Congressman booked a table for Friday night" Nikita informed Blaine as he walked into the kitchen to help get the prepared meals out to the customers "Everyone must be stuck in town for the weekend"

"Poor things have to work the hard days like the rest of us" he laughed sarcastically. It wasn't rare to see one of the nation's politicians in his restaurant. Out of the centre of Washington, 'Hunter's Kitchen' wasn't quite as central and busy as places in DuPont Circle for example. It was a nice change for some people and word seemed to spread through Congress as more and more politicians became regular customers. Blaine never complained about any Congressman booking a table at his restaurant because they usually brought a small group and spent a lot. "What state is this one from?"

"Idaho, Ohio, Iowa... one of those"

"I'll give Steve a call and get him working the door. It can't hurt to have a little extra security no matter where they're from" he chuckled and picked up the two plates for table 12. Blaine had seen so many Congressmen and Senators come through his restaurant it didn't matter where they came from, they all ate and drank the same.

The rest of the night ran reasonably smoothly except for maybe when Nikita dropped a tray of drinks all over herself and a table of frat boys from Georgetown University. Admittedly one of the guys had grabbed her ass so the beer shower he suffered was deserved. That too wasn't a rare occurrence but Blaine took no shame in kicking their disrespectful asses out of his restaurant.

XXXXX

"Go home already" Sam laughed as he stacked another set of clean plates next to the one Blaine had just set down. Helping clean up now that the final customer had left, the young owner was struggling to keep his eyes open.

"In a minute" Blaine nodded as he tried but failed to hold back another yawn.

Blaine had always been the type of person that would help in every way through the restaurant at the end of the night just so all his staff could go home. He was usually the last one out and felt guilty when he wasn't.

"Blaine..."

"Only if you're in front of me heading home to your girls" he chuckled knowing Sam melted at the first mention of wife Mercedes and their 3 year old daughter Lauren. That little girl had her father wrapped around her little finger already but Sam didn't mind. Lauren was the best thing to happen to him after meeting and marrying the love of his life that was Mercedes Jones.

"I'm going home to an empty house all weekend actually. Mercedes took Lauren home to Ohio to see her Mom"

"Why didn't..." Blaine began before being cut off by a passing Nikita

"Ohio!" she gasped "That's where that Congressman I was telling you about is from. His name is Burt something"

"Hummel" Sam helped and immediately turned to Blaine. The young brunette's face went blank for a moment before morphing into the fake 'everything is ok' expression he was famous for. He wasn't going to let Burt's presence affect him or at least let it appear like that on the outside.

"You know what? I think I might head home. You've got keys right Sam?"

"Yeah" the blonde nodded "You ok?"

"Hunter needs me at home"

**Shall I continue?**

**I'd love to hear your thoughts :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thankyou for the great response to the first chapter. I'm glad you all liked it.**

**I apologise for the week between posts but with life so crazy at the moment I think I might make this a weekly update story. I promise to try to have a new chapter up every Sunday.**

"Don't hate me"

"Why would I hate you?"

"Just promise me you won't hate me"

"Austin..." Blaine sighed getting slightly annoyed with his boyfriend now. Sitting down on the arm of the couch, he waited for Austin to just tell him what was going on. Today was not the day to mess with Blaine and the young surgeon knew that. It was the say he was going to do his best to avoid his ex-fiance's father in his own restaurant.

"An MVA, car versus motorbike just came into the ER and my Attending is letting me take point on my first solo trauma surgery... This is a big thing for me Blaine"

"How could I hate someone who is out there saving lives? It's ok" Blaine chuckled. Austin was referring to the fact that being in surgery hinders his ability to pick Hunter up from the restaurant that night before Burt came in. Even thought Burt and Carole hadn't seen their grandson if you could even call that since he was born, Blaine now had to run the risk he'd be trying to steer clear of.

"Y'know Burt hasn't seen Hunter in seven years, he won't know..."

"Yeah, it'll be fine. I'm just being a drama queen over nothing"

"Because that's a new side of you" Austin laughed sarcastically thankful Blaine wasn't beside him to slap his arm.

"Guess who's sleeping on the couch tonight?" Blaine smirked knowing Austin was putting his world famous puppy dog pout, one Hunter had learnt to do very well.

"If I make it home, I really should go"

"Your work comes first, it's ok" the brunette smiled genuinely happy for Austin to keep working than come home. He was a surgeon and his work was helping people, Blaine wasn't going to stop him from doing something so important.

"My family should come first" Austin sighed softly "I'll just get someone else to take my surgery"

"Don't you dare!" Blaine snapped catching his boyfriend off guard "You're going to go into surgery, save that person's life and then come home to Hunter and I. We will be fine"

"Blaine..."

"If you pass over that surgery I will break up with you"

"You wouldn't..."

"Don't make me even consider it" Blaine insisted "I love you, I'll see you when you get home"

"I love you too" Austin smiled before hanging up. He still couldn't get over how good Blaine was to him especially when it came to work. Being a resident, Austin worked the worst shifts. He could work 48 hour shifts one week and then a month of night shifts. It was hard especially with Blaine working most nights at the restaurant but they managed.

Grabbing his jacket and keys, Blaine made his way out of the apartment once he realised it was almost time to pick Hunter up from school. He drove the short distance to Georgetown Day School and waited outside the gate with all the other mothers. It wasn't long until the doors opened and the relatively quiet courtyard was bustling with children. Hunter raced out toward his father already talking at a million miles an hour about his day.

"Whoa, slow down" Blaine laughed and took his son's backpack from him "I take it you had a good day at school?"

"It was so much fun, we did art after lunch and I have to show Austin what we made" Hunter gasped excitedly "Is he coming to the restaurant or is he already home? If he was already home he would have come with you to pick me up or maybe he's cooking dinner because he never gets to cook because of work or maybe..."

"Hunter! Take a breath"

The seven year old took a dramatic deep breath and smirked cheekily up at his father. That was one of the few traits he inherited from his mother that Blaine couldn't or more so wouldn't train out of his son.

Blaine knelt down to his son's level and took his hands gently "You know how Austin has a special job helping sick people? Well he had to help someone who got badly hurt in a car accident. He's going to be at work tonight but I know he'll want to see your artwork as soon as he gets home. He loves everything you bring home to show him"

"Oh" Hunter nodded "I'm going to stay with Mr Fitzpatrick then?"

"You don't have school tomorrow so I thought you could hang out at the restaurant. I can put some of your movies up on the computer and I know Henry would love some help in the kitchen" Blaine shrugged as he watched his son's face brighten considerably. Mr Fitzpatrick was the elderly man that lived in the apartment across from Blaine and Hunter. He was a reasonably nice man that liked looking after Hunter but like most elderly men he was a grump. Hunter was a very energetic and enthusiastic seven year old and he just got so bored with Mr Fitzpatrick.

"Can I play waiter again?"

"Maybe, we'll see how busy it is tonight"

The seven year old nodded excitedly as he took his father's hand and they made their way back to the car. Driving over to the restaurant, Blaine got Hunter settled in his office with a movie before joining his staff in the kitchen for a quick meeting before the dinner shift began. They spoke about the menu as well as any special reservations for the night including that of Congressman Hummel's. He wasn't the only politician dining at Hunter's Kitchen that night so Blaine would be busy without his focus solely on Burt and his party.

Blaine and his staff got to work as customers started filling the restaurant. Keeping mostly to the kitchen, the young owner couldn't help but sense a different atmosphere tonight. His staff seemed to be on their toes the entire night making sure they got all the meals to their tables before Blaine had the chance to call for them. He definitely wasn't complaining about the improvement in service time but the young owner couldn't help but think there was something else going on.

XXXXX

"You guys know this is a small kitchen and you all suck at keeping a secret" Blaine laughed as he handed off a plate of gnocchi to Emily to deliver to a customer's table. All the waitresses in particular had been in deep conversation for most of the night, stopping when Blaine got within hearing distance.

"I'm sorry Blaine, we... I didn't know how to tell you" Sam sighed softly. It was then that Blaine's suspicions were confirmed. From the whispering around the kitchen he'd only known it was something about Burt, Sam's facial expression proved that something more was going on.

"Kurt's been sitting with his father for the last hour and a half hasn't he?"

"And Carole..."

Blaine nodded trying to process the fact that his ex-fiancé was within 20 feet of him right in that moment, that Kurt was within 20 feet of their son.

"Y'know we can close up tonight if you want to take Hunter home" Sam suggested with a shrug figuring Blaine would want to get out of there as fast as possible.

"Where is Hunter?"

Blaine's focus shifted quickly as he went searching for his son. Checking his office and finding it empty, he made his way back into the kitchen looking around for the seven year old. Blaine had been a little out of sorts all night so maybe an early night with Hunter was just what he needed. As much as he didn't want to run away from this, Blaine didn't think he was ready to face Kurt after so long.

"Where is Hunter?"

"I just sent him out to table 12 with their dessert. He's had so much fun playing waiter" Emily smiled oblivious as to what was going on. One look from Sam and Blaine knew who was sitting at table 12. The pair had been friends for so long that it didn't take much to communicate a lot.

XXXXX

"Excuse me" Hunter spoke clearly as he stood beside Burt with a large plate in his hands. Loving to help out where he could especially when his father's office bored him to tears, the seven year old's favourite job was dessert waiter. Blaine had jokingly asked Hunter to deliver a dessert to Austin when they first started dating as a cute bit but as the years went on the little boy continued the task for other customers. The regulars and all the staff thought it was beyond cute and the attention seeker that Hunter was loved every second.

"Yes?"

"Who had the Mint Choc Chip Cheesecake?" the seven year old asked and sat the plate in front of Kurt when he'd put his hand up. Tearing his eyes away from a text on his cell, Kurt's breath caught in his throat at the sight of Hunter.

Kurt knew exactly who that little boy was even if he didn't look so much like his father. Watching Hunter grow through photos Blaine had posted to his Face Space as well as those sent secretly from Mercedes, Kurt had seen him develop into the bright little boy in from of them.

"And what's your name?" Carole asked with a smile thinking he was just adorable. She and Burt however didn't realise who this little boy was... just yet.

"Hunter" Kurt answered

"Yeah" the seven year old nodded as he turned to Kurt "How did you know that?"

"Because he picked the name" Blaine then answered for Kurt as he came up behind his son. Biting the bullet, Blaine knew he'd have to face his ex-fiancé sooner or later. "Hello Kurt"

**Your thoughts?**


	3. Chapter 3

"Hi Blaine" Kurt smiled weakly as he looked up at Blaine who had Hunter held close "You, uh, you look good"

"It's good to see you again, dear" Carole smiled warmly. Blaine had honestly missed her and her kindness. She had always been the Mom his own mother had spent 30 years trying to be.

Blaine smiled weakly back at Carole wishing he could just sit down and catch up on the last 7 years but he couldn't. He could barely look at Kurt because his heart already hurt too much.

Blaine never thought he would ever cross Kurt's path until they were at their 25th High School Reunion and they were happily married to other people. He'd never thought about what their first meeting would be like after all these years.

"Blaine..." Kurt began before he was quickly cut off.

"I really should get back to work" Blaine spoke quickly as he ushered Hunter back behind the bar and into his office. "Could you hang out in here for a little while? There's heaps of movies on the computer and if you ask nicely I'm sure Henry will save you a piece of the Choc Mint Cheesecake"

"Who were those people Dad?" Hunter asked softly unsure as to how his father would react. The seven year old just had to see the pain in Blaine's face to know something was wrong.

"People I knew from a long time ago, buddy"

"How does that man know me?"

"That's a story you can wait a few more years to hear" Blaine chuckled weakly and pressed a soft kiss to his son's forehead. Lingering for a few seconds, he mumbled a quick 'love you, buddy' before leaving his office and leaning against the shut door. The young man took a couple deep breaths before heading back behind the bar to find the scotch and a glass. He just needed a shot of something strong.

XXXXX

"Ok kid you really need to explain what happened" Burt insisted once Blaine had disappeared into his office.

"Just then?"

"No, seven years ago..."

"Is this really the time to discuss that?" Kurt sighed trying to deflect the conversation. By the look on his father's face, that wasn't going to happen "What do you want me to say?"

"I want you to tell me the truth, Kurt" he snapped "When you and Blaine split I didn't want to suffocate you. I knew it would have been hard especially with Hunter in the picture and so you throwing yourself into your work didn't worry me. You've always been the type to focus on something else til you can figure out your other issues"

"Dad..."

"I was busy here in DC so I couldn't keep tabs on you all the time like I used to when you were a teenager. A few weeks later you started to seem like your old self again. I worried but you were about to perform on opening night of Guys and Dolls. You were a lot happier than you had been" Burt continued "Blaine had sent photos of Hunter letting us know they were ok for a about a year before they slowly stopped. Life moved on but seeing you look at him with so much pain makes me think it didn't end mutually like you told me it did"

"It wasn't Blaine's fault, it was never his fault" Kurt sighed softly as he ran his hands through his hair. He had run away from this for seven years but now his mistakes had caught up with him. He couldn't hide from it any more.

"Having a child had always been Blaine's dream. He finished college and wanted to settle down as soon as he could" Kurt began. Clasping his hands tight in his lap, he took a deep breath before looking up at his parents. "The opportunity to have a baby fell into our laps and we took it really before thinking about it. It was about 3 months after Hunter was born that I realised that I wasn't living the life I wanted. I was losing focus at work if I even made it to the theatre that day. I made a choice and every time I'm on stage and I don't see Blaine and Hunter in that audience, I regret it more and more"

"You walked out?"

Kurt nodded afraid to catch his father's eye. He was embarrassed about what he did seven years ago but at the time it was what he thought was best.

"I..."

"You had to think about your happiness" Carole finished for Kurt when he just couldn't find the right words

"All I was thinking about was myself. I needed time to focus on the show and the dream I've had since I was four years old" Kurt sighed and looked up at his father who didn't have the furious expression that he had expected. Burt didn't like what Kurt did but he had to understand why he did it. Kurt was a headstrong young man and he was destined to grace the Broadway stage from a young age. He knew his son would have his amazing career one day, just not at the cost of his family.

"But none of that's worth anything 7 years later. Hunter is the most beautiful boy I've ever seen and I had no hand in that. I wish I had been there to watch him grow into a great little kid"

"You're probably not alone on that one" Carole commented as she noticed Blaine standing at the bar within listening distance. He had heard the entire conversation and for the first time since Kurt walked out, Blaine knew why. The young brunette just didn't know how he felt now he did know.

Kurt turned quickly to see Blaine disappearing into his office. Getting up from his seat, Kurt received a reassuring smile from Carole before he made his way through to Blaine's office. Knocking on the door, he needed to apologise. He walked out on his fiancé and son without a word or an apology... now was his time to make it up to Blaine.

"Blaine? Blaine, it's Kurt"

Silence

"Blaine?"

The door opened slightly but it was the younger Anderson that stood before Kurt. Hunter didn't understand what was going on but his father was in tears behind that door and the seven year old couldn't have that.

"You've made my Dad sad; you need to go away now"

Kurt's heart caught in his throat hearing that from Hunter. It took all his energy not to break down right then and there.

"I'm sorry Hunter" Kurt sighed as he held back tears "I'm so sorry..."

**Your thoughts?**

**I know it was a short chapter but if you're lucky you **might **get another one **maybe **Monday**


	4. Chapter 4

**I know I promised a new chapter on Monday and it's Tuesday probably everywhere that you guys live and I'm sorry! This chapter didn't come out quite as easily as I'd hoped. I hope you enjoy it all the same.**

Austin pressed a soft kiss to his boyfriend's temple as he noticed the curly haired brunette start to stir. When he got home from the hospital last night, he found Blaine exhausted from crying most of the night. He also found Hunter curled up beside his father providing the most comfort a seven year old knew how. Carrying the little boy back to his bedroom, Austin was thankful for all he did until he could come home and take over.

"Hey beautiful" Austin smiled softly as he ran his hands through Blaine's curls knowing the small action always calmed the young man "Feeling any better this morning?"

"Last night... Kurt was at the restaurant" Blaine began as his eyes welled up with unshed tears.

"Shhh it's ok. Sam called me last night and told me what happened, he was worried about you. I'm worried about you"

Austin played with the small curls at the back of Blaine's neck as the shorter man snuggled closer into his chest. Letting out a soft sigh, the young surgeon didn't know what to say or do to better the situation.

"I want to help; I want to understand how you're feeling. Talk to me..."

"I don't know how I'm feeling" he sighed and sat up against the headboard. Shifting so he was also sitting up, Austin rubbed Blaine's knee gently "I'm furious at what he did all those years ago but..."

"You kinda understand why he did it?"

"Which frustrates me even more" Blaine sighed and looked away from his boyfriend "Although, I can't help but feel guilty that him leaving was my fault"

"It was in no way your fault" Austin insisted with a heavy sigh.

"But having a baby was my dream, not Kurt's. His was Broadway"

"But he agreed to have the baby with you"

"He wasn't thinking..."

"And that wasn't your fault"

Blaine nodded weakly knowing Austin was right. After hearing Kurt's explanation, he would always for some reason feel a little guilty. Like he and Hunter were holding Kurt back from achieving his dream. On the other hand, Kurt caused a lot of pain when he left to chase that Broadway stage.

"He apologised to Hunter..."

"That's one thing I guess" Austin shrugged "Not that he really understands, he's still too little"

"I don't even really understand it all, how am I supposed to explain it to a seven year old?"

"Explain what to me?" Hunter asked from the door way. Poking his head into the room, he wanted to check on his Dad after waking up in his own bedroom. Padding his way over to the bed, he climbed up and curled into Blaine's lap. His presence was already making Blaine feel 100 times better.

"Another day" Blaine smiled weakly and tried to flatten his son's unruly curls. He couldn't dwell on Kurt when he could be back in New York by now. If he thought about it too much more, he would probably burst into tears again and Hunter had seen him cry enough for a long time.

Blaine would deal with his issues, just not right now. Not when he could be spending time with his family, the family that wasn't going anywhere any time soon.

XXXXX

"Hunter, are you almost ready?" Austin called out down the hall as he pulled his coat on. Blaine and Austin were taking the seven year old to his favourite place in Washington DC. A treat, they all needed a day out as a family.

"Where are we going?" the young boy asked as he trudged out of his room two different shoes on.

"It's a surprise but do you really want to wear those shoes?"

Hunter looked down then back up with a slight shrug "I couldn't find the other one..."

"Well why don't we go look for it while your father runs around like a headless chicken, what are you looking for?" Austin chuckled as he watched Blaine all but tear the apartment apart looking for something.

"My cell, I don't know where it is"

"Did you try calling it?"

Glaring at his boyfriend playfully, Blaine found the landline and dialled his cell number. Following Hunter to his bedroom with a laugh, Austin loved Blaine's random blonde moments.

Blaine walked through the apartment trying to hear his ringtone but beside Hunter and Austin talking in the other room, it was silent. Just as he was about to hang up, he heard the line click and woman answer his phone.

"Hello... Blaine Anderson's phone"

"Who is this?" Blaine wondered curiously

"It's Nikita. You left your cell at the restaurant last night next to your wallet. You kinda left in a hurry" she chuckled

"I didn't even think of it when I left last night. Too much on my mind" he sighed softly "I'll drop by and grab it. Could you just leave it in my office?"

"Sure"

"Thanks, see you soon"

"See who soon?" Austin asked as he walked back into the living room just as Blaine hung up the phone

"Can we make a detour before heading to Air and Space?"

"We're going to Air and Space?" Hunter gasped. The Smithsonian Air and Space Museum was the young boy's favourite place in their little city. Blaine had been taking him there since he was 3 and Hunter still found something new to see with every visit. Loving to watch his son's eyes light up every time they walked into the building, Blaine would repeat their visits until the spark left those deep chocolate eyes.

"Ruin the surprise, B" Austin laughed

"Shit, sorry"

"Dad said a bad word!" his son cried with a laugh

"Yes I said a bad word. I'm sorry" he chuckled "And even though I may say bad words..."

"I can never repeat them"

"Good boy" Blaine laughed and ruffled his son's curls "Ready to go?"

Hunter nodded excitedly and raced for the door. Blaine and Austin followed closely, linking their hands over the console once they were in the car. Rubbing his thumb across his boyfriend's palm, Austin didn't realise how calm Blaine felt right in that moment. Knowing Austin was there supporting him and loving him was all he needed.

Pulling into the small parking lot beside his restaurant, Austin shut off the engine.

"Can I come in?" Hunter asked with a slightly strained expression

"I'm only going to be a second, bud"

"But... I gotta pee"

And with that all three men got out of the car and made their way into the building. Reasoning with Blaine that five minutes won't take away from their day, Austin followed his boyfriend inside. Hunter raced off to the bathroom as soon as they walked in and didn't notice and now familiar figure sitting at the bar. Neither Blaine nor Austin noticed him either as they made their way toward Sam who was wiping down the counter.

"Nikita is the queen of hiding things in my office, do you where..." Blaine began but couldn't continue when the figure sitting at the bar "What are you doing here?"

"I need to apologise"

"You shouldn't be here"

"I'm not giving up this time" Kurt insisted and stood from his seat "I'm seven years overdue for this"

"Exactly, you're seven years too late" Blaine sighed and felt Austin's hand rest on the small of his back. The small touch was enough support.

"Please give me a chance"

"Give me a good reason why, Kurt"

Before Kurt could answer Hunter bolted back from the bathroom and fit right between Blaine and Austin with ease. Kurt didn't need to answer now that his reason was standing right there in front of them. He had hurt his family worse than he could have ever imagined and now that little boy looked at him with hate rather than love.

"I thought I told you to go away" Hunter snapped. He never wanted to see his father as upset as he was the night before and while Kurt was still there, the chance of it happening again was high.

"How about you and I go for a walk Hunter?" Austin suggested quickly. Blaine needed time to talk to Kurt whether he wanted to accept his apology or not and an angry Hunter wouldn't help "They re-opened the comic book shop on the corner and I think your Dad needs some time" he smiled slightly before turning to Blaine "You're ok?"

"Yeah and thank you" Blaine smiled as he squeezed his boyfriend's hand gently. Watching them leave, a part of him wished he was going with them. He turned back to Kurt and gestured for him to sit back at the bar. Joining him, he took a deep breath.

"So, who's that with Hunter?"

"Your judgemental tone isn't going to get you anywhere Kurt"

"I wasn't being judgemental, I was just curious" Kurt defended even though he had been judging the man since he first saw him touch Blaine.

"His name is Austin, he's a doctor and we've been together three years"

"Three years, must be serious. Living together?"

"For six months. Since when did this so called 'apology' turn into 20 questions about my boyfriend?" Blaine bit starting to get frustrated with Kurt. Austin had nothing to do with this.

"I'm sorry" Kurt sighed "For the 20 questions, for leaving, for everything. I don't know how to even begin apologising for what I did to you. I was being selfish and I've regretted it for so long. Seeing Hunter so bright and happy makes it all hurt a little more"

"Just tell me one thing" Blaine began softly "Did you even think of Hunter when you walked out? How what you were doing was going to affect him?"

"Of course I thought about him. He was always on my mind but I knew he was safe with you. I knew you would take care of him"

"You thought very highly of me because even before you left I was freaking out every waking moment. I was always scared something would happen to him, that he'd get sick or hurt and I couldn't do anything to help him"

"I was scared too..." Kurt sighed softly and clutched his hands tight in his lap "I just wasn't strong enough to push through the fear like you did. I bailed because I thought Broadway was the easy way out"

"Was it?" Blaine asked curiously.

"I've been lucky but I don't have anything to compare it to. I can barely hold onto a relationship these days let alone consider another child" he shrugged "My career has been going well but my personal life, not so much"

There was a silence between the pair for a moment. Blaine didn't know what to say, was he meant to feel sorry for Kurt? Was he meant to give him a hug and accept that what he did seven years ago was all ok now?

"I should uhm go find the boys" Blaine finally spoke up after a long couple of minutes "We're taking Hunter to the Air and Space Museum, it's his favourite"

"I love that one too. My Dad used to take me there when I was a kid" Kurt smiled and he stood up at the same time as Blaine. Pulling a small envelope from his inner coat pocket, Kurt held it out to his ex-fiancé.

"What's this?"

"I know nothing will ever make up for my absence over the last seven years but I hope this will at least make the future a little easier for Hunter" Kurt smiled weakly "My cell number is in there as well. Even if it's half an hour talking about Hunter, I'd like to see you again. I'm not finished apologising"

Blaine nodded as he took the envelope and slipped into his own coat pocket. Pretty sure as to what it was, he didn't want to look at it to confirm his suspicions. The young brunette watched his ex walk out the door, his back being the most familiar feature to Blaine. This time wasn't quite as painful as the last. It would always hurt to see Kurt walk away but at least this time there's a chance to see each other again... on better terms.

Blaine was unsure of what he was feeling but Kurt felt that there was still hope. Hope that maybe Blaine can forgive him, or at least work towards forgiveness.

**Your thoughts?**

**Should Blaine give Kurt another chance?**

**What was in the envelope?**


	5. Chapter 5

Blaine entered the small coffee shop and peered around the cramped space. It wasn't hard to spot the familiar coif hair style that had only changed slightly in seven years. Making his way past the small couches and bookshelves, Blaine sat down across from Kurt.

"You came" Kurt smiled as he slid a mug toward Blaine. Guessing his ex-fiancé still liked a Caramel Latte, he took the liberty of ordering for him.

"I told you I would" Blaine shrugged as he accepted the mug.

"I'm glad you did, it's good to see you again"

Blaine nodded silently as he took a sip of his drink. Savouring the taste he hadn't enjoyed for many years, he set the cup down before looking back at Kurt. He hadn't changed in years, he still looked flawlessly fabulous without any effort and it killed Blaine to see that life had been so nice to him... after everything.

"You're quiet..."

"I need to ask, if you hadn't come into my restaurant which I'm guessing was completely accidental by the disbelief written all over your face when you saw Hunter for the first time, would you ever have come to see him? Us?"

Both men were silent for a moment. Blaine waiting for answer while Kurt tried to find the right words

"I... I wanted to" Kurt finally spoke "I had been trying to plan the perfect moment to come down to DC and see you both. I was grateful that the opportunity kind of fell into my lap a couple weeks ago when I saw Hunter at the restaurant. I'd over planned it so much that I'd almost talked myself out of ever coming to see you"

"You knew we were here?"

Kurt nodded "Finn saw you one day when he was here visiting Dad and Carole. I don't think Hunter was very old, 3 maybe?"

There was another silence between the pair as they both took a sip of their coffees waiting for each other to speak.

"So, uh, what's Hunter up to today?"

"I left him and Austin camped out on the couch watching the Browns and Raiders game" Blaine smiled. From the moment both of them got out of bed, their day centred around the television whether it was pre-game coverage or the game itself. Blaine would usually be right there with them watching if he didn't have 'errands to run'. Austin knew where he was going and who he was meeting but Blaine kept that information from his son. There was no use upsetting the seven year old over a coffee date.

"He got his love of football from you no doubt"

"He loves it but Cooper got him supporting the Oakland Raiders. He boo's any of the Ohio teams now" Blaine laughed. Cooper still lived in Los Angeles with his family. He continued his acting career but Scarlett and Dianna had kept him very grounded. He was back to being the same man Blaine knew before he made it big.

"Are the Raiders any good?"

"You still don't follow football?"

"No" the older man chuckled lightly "What else does Hunter like? Does he play a sport? An instrument?"

"I'm slowly teaching him to play the piano and he tried soccer this year but didn't like it too much. Stuck it out til the end of the season before asking if he could play baseball next year" Blaine smiled remembering that day vividly.

Hunter's soccer team was good (for a bunch of second graders running back and forth chasing a ball in too big uniforms) and they had made it to the grand finals. After winning the game and receiving their trophies, Hunter walked up to Austin and his father, handed them the trophy and bluntly said "I don't like this game, my arms don't get to do anything. Can I try baseball?"

"Well he's too short for basketball" Kurt joked knowing his ex hated short quips.

"Not his fault" he laughed "Much to Austin's dismay though, he played all through college and kinda hoped to pass on some wisdom. He knows nothing about baseball"

"Austin's very involved with Hunter, isn't he? Kinda like a... Dad?"

"Don't made me say it, Kurt"

"Austin is the closest thing he's got to a second father?"

"Kurt" Blaine sighed softly. He really didn't want this coffee meeting to turn into another fight.

"It's true though" Kurt bit back "Does he call Austin 'Dad' yet?"

"No, you happy?"

"There's something else..."

"Kurt"

"Say it, Blaine" Kurt demanded. He had known Blaine long enough to know that he was holding something back. Even after seven years he could still read the brunette like a book.

"Hunter told me that he will only ever have one Dad. Whether I'm with Austin for the rest of my life or not, he won't acknowledge anyone else as his father" Blaine growled softly "He says he only had one father when he was born and that's all he needs"

"Ouch, I guess that explains why he was so angry with me at the restaurant"

"He doesn't know who you are, I never told him" the younger man shrugged "He was angry because that first time we saw you, was the first time my son has ever seen me so upset and frustrated that I was in tears. I've always been protective of him so in turn he's become protective of me"

"He doesn't know about us?"

"Why does he need to know?"

"Because we brought him into this world together" Kurt snapped

"Yeah and you walked away three months later, I'm sorry for not wanting my son to know that he was the only I got out of bed every morning after you left" Blaine snarled "I didn't tell him who you were because I don't want him to hate you for what you did 7 years ago"

"He hates me now anyway!"

"For upsetting me at the restaurant, he'd probably forget about it eventually. If he knew that you didn't love him or want him, you'd have no chance of him ever forgiving you"

"You cannot tell me I didn't love that boy, I have always loved him. I think the envelope I gave you was proof enough"

"A pay out doesn't mean you love my son" Blaine sighed pulling the envelope Kurt had given him a couple weeks ago out of his pocket and threw it onto the table.

"Did you even read it?" Kurt groaned, frustrated. "There's a letter in there that I wrote the day I left, it's for Hunter telling him how sorry I was. There are also details to a college fund I set up before Hunter was even born. I wanted to at least set him up with a good future but I know it's no compensation"

"He won't understand, he's too young"

"Please let me try to explain it to him, he seems like a smart kid"

Blaine shuffled in his seat as he thought about Kurt talking to Hunter. He was a smart kid but Blaine worried that his son wouldn't understand Kurt's decision to leave. That he needed to focus on his career before his family.

"If anyone needs to explain this to him, it has to be me" Blaine sighed as he ran his hands through his hair. Kurt seemed serious about making amends with Hunter but Blaine still had his doubts.

"I just want to get to know him. I've never stopped thinking of him as my son"

Blaine looked up at Kurt and saw the pain strewn across his face. With tears threatening to fall, Kurt just wanted to make up for everything he missed. He wanted Hunter to know that he was always loved, that he would always be loved.

"Let me talk to him"

"Thank you, Blaine"

**Your thoughts?**


	6. Chapter 6

**Question: Why does everyone in their reviews spell Austin as 'Austen'? Just curious. **

Blaine walked into his apartment, shut the door behind him and hung up his coat. Doing everything slowly and methodically let the young man think about everything his morning had entailed. He made his way past the couch where his boyfriend and son were still camped out watching football, kissed them both on the top of the head before heading into the kitchen.

Austin immediately sensed that something was wrong and gave Blaine a moment before following him into the kitchen. Boiling the kettle to make a cup of tea, the curly haired young man walked straight into his boyfriend's open arms and rested his head on his chest. Austin simply held Blaine close for as long as he needed. A few minutes later he lifted his head and smiled weakly up at his boyfriend.

"Want to talk about it?"

"Kurt and I don't know how to not fight anymore and it's exhausting" Blaine sighed softly "He wants to get to know Hunter"

"Before or after he knows he walked out on you guys?"

"After which is why I need the Raiders to win this game so my son is in a good mood when I tell him"

"You're going to tell him tonight?"

"Now or never" he chuckled "The sooner I wait, the more Kurt harps at me, the longer this whole thing drags out"

"If it makes you feel any better, the Browns are getting creamed" Austin laughed and pressed a kiss to his boyfriend's forehead "I'm proud of you for doing this. Not many people would let their ex back into their kid's life"

Blaine hummed softly with a nod. He wasn't sure if this was brave or just stupid, time would tell.

XXXXX

"Something's wrong" Hunter stated as he sat down at the kitchen beside his father.

"Why do you say that?"

"We're having pizza for dinner without me even having to beg for it. Plus Austin just took his dinner and disappeared into your bedroom. How come he gets to eat in his room and I don't?"

"Because Austin is giving us some privacy. I need to talk to you about something" Blaine sighed softly as he played with the corner of his napkin.

"Uh-oh" the seven year old giggled

"Don't uh-oh me, kid"

"Sorry"

"You know how Austin and I are... a partnership, a couple?" Blaine began and waited for his son to nod before continuing "Well a long time ago, when I didn't know Austin, I was with Kurt. He's the man..."

"The man that made you sad at the restaurant"

"He didn't make me sad exactly, just very frustrated and angry"

"What did he do?"

"Kurt and I were together for a while before you were born. We were together when we decided to start a family, that's when you came along. When you were born it was meant to be you, me and Kurt as a family"

"No Austin?"

"No Austin" Blaine repeated with a shake of his head. Reaching across the table, he took his son's hand gently "When you were only a baby, about 3 months old, Kurt left. He moved out and left you and I on our own"

"He didn't want to be in our family anymore? Did _I _do something bad?" Hunter asked softly worried that it was his fault Kurt left. He didn't completely understand the situation yet.

"No, you did nothing. It wasn't your fault. You were perfect, you still are" the elder Anderson sighed as Hunter climbed into his father's lap "Kurt was in a big show on Broadway and he wanted to focus on just that for a while. I think he wanted a family, just not right then. It's..."

"Did he not love us?"

Blaine was silent for a moment. Even though Kurt said that he still loved Hunter, how was the seven year old meant to believe that? Leaving didn't mean the same thing as loving, he was smart enough to know that much. Blaine wanted to tell his son that Kurt never stopped thinking about him but Hunter wouldn't understand it as love.

"I'm not the person to answer that one, bud" he shrugged really not knowing the answer. Kurt said a lot of things but how was he meant to believe them as well. Not once had Kurt said he missed Blaine or said he always thought of Blaine. "Kurt wants to see you. He wants to say sorry for what he did"

"Do I have to?" Seeing his Dad in so much pain talking about Kurt made Hunter less and less motivated to have anything to do with him. Blaine honestly wasn't too surprised at his son's reaction. It had been Blaine and Hunter together for so long that it was hard to let other people in.

"I'd like you to hear him out. I'll get him to come to the restaurant and I can watch from the bar or something"

"You won't leave me alone?"

"I'll be there the whole time" Blaine assured him and hugged the young boy close. For his own comfort and now for Hunter's, Blaine was going to keep an eye on them.

XXXXX

"So you're babysitting us" Kurt sighed as he walked into the bar and saw Hunter already settled in a booth. Receiving a text from Blaine to meet at the restaurant, Kurt expected he and Hunter to go from there.

"Hunter is comfortable here. I told you that if you wanted to see him it was on his terms" Blaine shrugged not really caring about Kurt's discomfort as he filled two glasses with water and slid them across the bar to his ex.

"What did you tell him about us?"

"As much as he needed to know"

Kurt nodded hoping the seven year old was an understanding soul. Taking the glasses of water he mumbled a quick 'here goes nothing' before making his way over to Hunter's table.

"Hi Hunter" he smiled as he sat down

"Hello" Hunter returned politely as he looked up from his book. Studying Kurt for a moment, he looked back down at his book and continued to read.

"What are you reading there buddy?"

Hunter flipped his book so Kurt could read the title 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'. The school work he enjoyed the most was definitely reading. Hunter had powered through his second grade reading list leaving the C.S Lewis classic til last.

"Oh I love that one" Kurt smiled remembering back to when he first read that book when he was a couple years older than Hunter was now. He adored that book all through his childhood and read it so many times he could almost recite it "I still can't fathom how virtually no time passes in the real world when they go back through the wardrobe"

Hunter dog eared his page and set his book down with a disappointed sigh. Crossing his arms over the book, he looked up at Kurt.

"You haven't read the entire book yet have you?"

Hunter shook his head

"I just spoiled the ending?"

Hunter nodded

"Sorry"

XXXXX

45 minutes.

Hunter could be stubborn when he wanted to so he was more than happy to sit and stare at Kurt for 45 minutes without saying a word. He would shrug or nod at a question Kurt asked but his physical responses were few and far between.

No matter how hard Kurt tried to strike up a conversation with the young boy, nothing was working.

XXXXX

60 minutes.

Austin walked into the restaurant pushing a reluctant Mercedes along with him. Making their way over to the bar, they made sure they weren't seen by Kurt or Hunter.

"Look who I found outside" Austin chuckled and quickly pecked Blaine on the cheek before sitting down on a stool. Coming from work, he had kind of hoped Hunter had cracked Kurt by now.

"You know the view is better in here right?" Blaine laughed knowing why Mercedes was there.

"I'm supposed to be moral support but I didn't want it to seem like I was watching on..."

"Moral support? Why would Kurt need that? Hunter's just a kid"

"He's not just any kid" Mercedes insisted as she turned to Blaine "He's your kid with your cute little curls, your gorgeous golden eyes and too much of your stubbornness. I'm not surprised Kurt was scared about today"

Before Blaine could say anything Kurt appeared at the bar looking desperate. He had spent the last hour sitting across from silence and it was killing him. He just wanted to be able to talk to Hunter about something...anything.

"Having fun?" Blaine chuckled. Hunter got a lot of his personality from Blaine but the determination and tendency to just be a pain was all Santana.

"You're enjoying this torture?" Kurt spat angrily. He had hoped this whole day had gone a lot better than it had

"Calm down, he's just a kid" the curly haired brunette sighed "What have you tried to talk to him about?"

"Everything but nothing works. I started with spoiling the ending to his book then it all went down from there. I tried movies, TV; I even tried football... nothing"

"Maybe start with an apology" Austin suggested with a shrug. Earning himself a stern glare from Kurt, the young doctor wasn't intimidated by him "Isn't that why you're here?"

"He's got a point..."

Kurt sighed running his hands through his hair gently. He never imagined this to be so hard. Making his way back to the table, Kurt sat down and started with 'I'm sorry'

XXXXX

"I should be honest with you Blaine" Mercedes spoke up after the trio had watched Kurt go back to the booth. "Kurt has always asked about Hunter every time he called me and I'd tell him. Even right after he left called to make sure you were both ok. I also sent him photos of Hunter growing up"

"Since..."

"Since you moved to DC. At least a couple times a year I'd send him a new photo" she continued trying to gauge Blaine's reaction.

"How long after he left did he call?" Blaine asked softly. He wasn't sure if he could handle the answer but he needed to know.

"He was the reason why Sam was on your doorstep within a couple hours. Kurt called when he got to Rachel's and asked if Sam or I would go check on you"

Blaine took a deep breath as he tried to process all of this new information. Even though he was gone, Kurt still cared for Hunter. It didn't change the fact that he never came back and in the past couple weeks that they'd seen each other, not once had Kurt apologised to Blaine for breaking his heart.

**Your thoughts?**

**Does Mercedes' confession change anything?**


	7. Chapter 7

**Short chapter but I want to thank gg42 for the great idea for this chapter**

"Thank you again for letting me stay with you tonight" Kurt smiled as he followed Mercedes into their town house. With his Dad out of town for a press tour in Texas, there was nowhere really to stay. This had already been a big weekend for him emotionally; the last thing he wanted to do was drive back to New York tonight.

"It's no problem, boo. I wouldn't want you staying in an empty house or a hotel when there is a perfectly good bed here" Mercedes insisted as she dropped her handbag on the bench on their way into the kitchen. Pulling two bottles of water from the refrigerator, she handed one to Kurt and offered him a seat on the couch "Plus Lauren has been asking if Uncle Kurt is coming"

"She has?"

"She always points to the photo of us at our high school graduation" she chuckled gesturing to the photo on the mantle "That was such a long time ago"

"It was, wasn't it?"

"What's up boo?"

"Just thinking about Hunter and Blaine. About this afternoon at the restaurant" Kurt sighed softly as he wrung his hands together gently.

XXXXX

"_I'm sorry Hunter" Kurt sighed softly as he sat back down at the booth. For the first time since the pair had been in each other's company, the seven year old was giving Kurt his full attention. "I know your Dad told you about me leaving when you were a baby. I just..."_

"_Did you love us?"_

_Kurt was caught off guard. He didn't imagine that question coming out so fast "Of course I loved you buddy. I will always love you. When you were a baby I loved the theatre as well and I made a choice. It was a bad choice"_

"_What about Dad? Did you love him too?"_

_Kurt took a breath. When he left, he was in a bad place with Blaine. They had been fighting a lot particularly over Hunter. They hadn't hugged in days, kissed in weeks or made love in months. It was a bad time for them and in a way it wasn't surprising that Kurt did leave. Bad place or not it sill broke Blaine's heart. Bad place or not Kurt still loved Blaine; he would never stop loving him. When he left he just needed time and he ended up taking too much of that time away from the two people he loved most in life. _

"_He will always have a special place in my heart" Kurt spoke softly. He couldn't just admit to Hunter that he still loved Blaine especially after seeing him again. He was the same beautiful man he fell in love with on the staircase at Dalton. "I'm so sorry for leaving you both, I know now how big a mistake it was. I missed everything with you"_

XXXXX

"I just feel so guilty for everything" Kurt sighed as he ran his hands through his hair. "When all I saw were photos it didn't feel like I was missing so much of his life. It felt like I was staying in touch with everything"

"But now..."

"After seeing Hunter this afternoon made me realise how many moments of his life I never got to experience. I never saw him walk for the first time, hear him talk for the first time, be there when he got that scar about his right eyebrow"

"He fell off the swings at school when he was in Kindergarten" Mercedes answered remembering back to when she got a frantic call from Blaine from the emergency room. Scared that Hunter had a concussion or even something worse, Blaine wouldn't let the little boy out of his sight for a week. If it wasn't for Austin being there at the hospital and making sure everything was checked three times, Blaine never would have Hunter leave the hospital without being wrapped in bubble wrap.

"That's exactly what I mean. I missed that, I missed pacing the hall worried sick about him. God knows what I was doing in New York while all this was happening"

"You were closing your run of 'Singing In The Rain'. I was going to tell you but you were busy" she shrugged as she played with the cap of her bottle. Just as vividly as she remembered a stressed Blaine, Mercedes remembered considering giving Kurt a call. When it turned out Hunter had a couple bruises and scratches, thoughts of worrying Kurt were pushed out of her mind.

"I wish I could make it all up to Hunter but I don't know how" Kurt sighed softly

"You've made a good start with Hunter. He's the kind of kid who rarely leaves his father's side. He and Blaine have been inseparable since he was little. Maybe Blaine is the key to making it up to Hunter. Have you apologised to Blaine yet?"

"Yeah of course" Kurt answered quickly. It only took one look from Mercedes for him to think if he had sincerely apologised to Blaine for everything that happened. "I... I can't"

"Why not?"

"I'm still in love with him" he blurted out before dropping his head into his hands. This was the first time he'd been able to admit it out loud. "I've never stopped"

"It's been 7 years..."

"And in 7 years he's always been the only one. There have been other guys but none of them were Blaine"

"Oh Boo" Mercedes sighed as she rested her hand on Kurt's knee. She never expected this. "Are you going to talk to him about this?"

"No way!" Kurt gasped "He's happy with Austin. I can't just barge in on that after everything that's happened. I've caused enough trouble for Blaine as it is"

"But Kurt..."

"No. I would rather build a good relationship with Hunter and I guess be friends with Blaine. If I was to tell him how I felt, I would lose them both."

"Are you sure that's what you want?"

Kurt shook his head. This wasn't what he wanted, it was far from it but it was what was going to happen. When he walked out he lost any chance of ever rekindling the flame with Blaine. His ex-fiancé had moved on and was happy; Kurt wasn't going to ruin that. He couldn't do that to Blaine and he couldn't jeopardise anything with Hunter. Kurt was still building trust with the seven year old, he had to be careful.

**Work is going to get insanely busy now that Christmas is so close so there may not be another chapter before Christmas. If not, I hope all my amazing readers have a happy and safe holiday season. **

**xx Lauren**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hope you all had a great Christmas and are gearing up for a safe but fun New Year. I apologise for the time jump in the middle of this chapter but I was getting nowhere keeping it where it was. I hope it's easy to follow.**

"Why are you two looking at me like that?" Hunter chuckled awkwardly as he peered between Blaine and Austin. Kurt and Mercedes had just left leaving the trio at the restaurant. Hungry, the seven year old was more focused on dinner than anything else.

"Do you have any questions?" Blaine asked tentatively. While keeping an eye on the pair the entire time, he didn't get to hear the conversation or his son's reaction.

"What's for dinner?"

Blaine and Austin burst out laughing at the complete randomness of Hunter's enquiry. Neither had expected that.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing buddy" Blaine chuckled "We're gonna grab some Chinese on our way home if that's alright with you but I was curious more if you had questions about your talk with Kurt"

"Oh" the little boy shrugged "I don't know. He seems nice, I guess and he said sorry"

"Would you be ok to see him again maybe?"

"Would you be there again like you were today?"

"If you want me to, I will" Blaine assured his son as he took his hand gently

"Ok then" Hunter nodded with a smile. His Dad didn't seem upset by Kurt being there like he had been before so it couldn't be all that bad. "I'm just going to go to the bathroom before we go, ok?" he asked quickly before jumping off the stool and jogging off to the bathroom.

Blaine looked to Austin who couldn't really process everything either. They were both a little shocked at Hunter's reaction to all this.

"Is it bad that I kinda wanted Hunter to make Kurt work a little harder?" Blaine chuckled softly after a long silence between the pair "I think if he was older when Kurt left he might not have been so... forgiving"

"Plus he's only 7 and idolises you" Austin began "Maybe he thinks forgiving Kurt will make you happy?"

"I don't want him to do that though just like I don't want him to hate Kurt because I still haven't forgiven him"

"Are you ever going to forgive him?"

Blaine was silent. He didn't want to ever forgive Kurt for breaking his heart the day he walked out. He wanted to hate Kurt forever for what he did, he wanted to make a life and be happy to spite Kurt. He wanted nothing to do with Kurt. He thought he didn't want anything to do with Kurt... until Kurt walked back into their lives.

It was going to take a lot for Blaine to forgive Kurt. He had to prove to Hunter that if he was going to come back into his life he was going to stay. If there was a chance Kurt could run, there was no deal. Hunter is what's important and if Kurt can be a good father figure then Blaine will consider forgiving him.

The only other thing Blaine wanted most before even thinking about forgiving Kurt was a genuine apology. Apologising for leaving is one thing, apologising for tearing Blaine's heart to shreds was another.

XXXXX

Hunter and Kurt got along a lot better than anyone had expected. They got along a lot better than Blaine had hoped for. Within a couple months and a lunch or dinner together at the restaurant every week or so, Kurt and Hunter had really started to bond. They found a common interest in music with Kurt helping the seven year old learn to read sheet music for his position on piano in the school band.

It got to the point where Blaine finally trusted Kurt to take Hunter out on a proper outing without him. Always there to babysit at the restaurant, he was letting his ex take Hunter ice skating on his own. It had been something Blaine and Kurt used to do together many years ago and something Kurt had always wanted to do with the young boy.

The day was planned. Kurt was going to come down from New York early, pick Hunter up from the apartment and take him to see Burt at work in the city. After the seven year old got bored which wasn't going to take long, they were going to grab some lunch and head to the park where the ice rink had been set up for the winter season. Hunter already had his favourite scarf and beanie laid out ready beside the new ice skates Blaine had given him as an early Christmas present.

XXXXX

"My favourite thing about winter is definitely hot chocolate on a snowy day" Kurt commented as he sat down across from Hunter at their small table. After just having lunch with Burt, Kurt and Hunter were on their way to the park to go ice skating. By the time they were halfway the seven year old was shivering like a leaf so Kurt thought it best for a detour.

"Mine too" Hunter smiled as he held his cup tight in his little gloved hands. Warming his nose and cheeks with the steam from his cup, the young boy blew it gently before taking a sip "My Aunt Mercedes makes the best cocoa. She always makes it for me if she picks me up from school in the wintertime"

"I've had her cocoa and it's pretty amazing" he smiled "She used to make it for me back in high school after Glee Club practice"

"What's 'Glee Club'?"

"Your Dad has never told you about Glee?"

Hunter shook his head

"Glee Club was the best thing about high school for me" Kurt smiled fondly remembering his days in the choir room "It was a group of kids from all walks of life that loved to sing, dance and perform. It was a place where everyone was accepted for who they were, a place where everyone felt special"

"Did you and my Dad sing together in Glee Club?"

"All the time but your dad was a bit of a star. He didn't need any back up. Does he sing much these days?"

"Not really" Hunter shrugged "He sings sometimes at the restaurant on open mic night. He always sings some really old song. I think it's called 'Teenage Dream'"

Kurt almost snorted his hot chocolate at the mention of that song. It had been a very, very long time since he had heard that song by its original artist let alone by the smooth vocals of one Blaine Anderson. It had always held a special place in his heart.

"He... he sings it a lot?"

Hunter nodded not really understanding the significance of the song "Sometimes I wonder if he knows any other songs" the seven year old giggled softly.

Kurt considered this information as he and Hunter finished their cocoa quietly. It pulled at his heartstrings knowing that Blaine still sang their song but probably associated it with Austin now instead. Not wanting to dwell on something that will never happen for them again, Kurt snapped back to reality and suggested they headed off to the park.

The pair made their way over to the ice rink to find it reasonably quiet. The weather had been really clear over the past few days, perfect for skating but today it was slightly overcast. Neither Kurt nor Hunter were complaining though, it meant more room to fall down off their skates.

"Don't worry buddy, I've got you" Kurt smiled as he and Hunter wobbled out onto the ice with clutched hands. It was the seven year olds first time skating so it was a scary yet exciting experience for him.

Like a duck to water, Hunter was almost a pro within an hour of being out on the ice. He was a quick learner especially when he had a great teacher in Kurt. The pair glided across the ice with the falls becoming few and far between until the seven year old saw a familiar face at the edge of the rink.

"Dad!" Hunter gasped before his backside met the ice. Scrambling back onto his feet, he skated to the edge to meet his father "Did you see me skate? Before I fell?"

"I did, you're a natural" Blaine smiled "If you keep practicing maybe we can look at you playing ice hockey next winter?"

"That'd be awesome"

"Are you sure you don't want to try figure skating?" Kurt laughed as he joined them at the edge "That's the one with all the sequins"

Hunter screwed up his nose with a giggle as he thought about dressing up in lots of glitter. It wasn't exactly his ideal sport choice.

"Ok no figure skating" Blaine chuckled before suggesting Hunter kept practicing skating a stopping but insisted he stayed close. He watched his son skate for a little while before turning to Kurt who was still leaning against the railing.

"I thought you had a romantic day with Austin planned for today"

"Paged to the hospital" the dark haired man shrugged with a soft sigh. They got as far as their favourite cafe just out of the city before Austin was called back to the hospital. It was hard because he really couldn't ignore those pages especially when they were patients he'd spent hours in surgery with only a day or so before. The hospital sometimes had to take priority. "I'm sorry for crashing your day with Hunter; I just wanted to see how his skating was going"

"It's no problem" Kurt smiled "He's doing really well especially for it being his first time. He got your talent for skating"

"Hardly, Cooper found my first time skating quite entertaining until it involved a visit to the hospital"

"Oh my god! The scar on the back of your calf?"

"Cut myself with my own skate" Blaine chuckled "So Hunter's talent has definitely come from his teacher"

Kurt blushed at the compliment. He was so proud of Hunter for his progress and it was nice to hear Blaine acknowledge his involvement.

"Did you bring your skates? You should come out here with us"

"That'd be alright with you? I don't want to feel like I'm intruding on your time with Hunter"

"Get out on the ice Blaine" Kurt laughed as he skated back to where Hunter was practicing his turning. It wasn't long before Blaine was out on the ice just struggling to stand. He hadn't skated in a long time so he was still a little rusty.

XXXXX

"I don't think I will ever have a chance at an ice hockey career, what do you think Hunt?" Blaine laughed as he skated to the railing clutching it almost for dear life. After an hour on the ice, he was exhausted and in pain.

"Stick to your day job Dad" he giggled leaning against the railing ready to call it a day as well.

"I think we'll leave it to you, bud. You're getting really good" Kurt smiled as he made his way off the ice and sat down. Pulling his skates off, he knew he'd still be feeling those blisters for the next few days.

"You really think so?"

"I think we've found your sport"

The trio changed back into their regular shoes before making their way back to Kurt's car to begin the journey home. Hunter was sound asleep before they were even around the first corner. It had been a big day for the young boy. Kurt and Blaine remained quiet on the journey back to Georgetown but thinking a lot about the other.

Kurt pulled up outside Blaine's apartment and shut off the engine before turning to his ex-fiancé.

"Thank you for letting have the day with Hunter, I really appreciate it" Kurt smiled as he looked back at the sleeping child in the backseat. He looked so much more like Blaine when he was asleep with his chocolate curls falling softly over his forehead.

"You've been doing really well with him. He really likes you and I know he had a great day today" Blaine nodded as he reached for the door only to be stopped by Kurt's hand on his knee.

"I'm sorry"

"Excuse me?"

"I'm sorry" Kurt repeated "I have been apologising to Hunter and apologising for leaving Hunter for weeks now but I haven't apologised to you... for how we left everything"

"For breaking my heart?" Blaine whispered softly "You just left without even talking to me..."

"I know and I'm so incredibly sorry" he sniffed and took both of Blaine's hands in his own "Leaving you and losing you was the hardest thing I did that day"

"I know we'd been fighting and it wasn't the best time for us but I still loved you"

"And I loved you too which is why I had to go. I was scared we would destroy everything between each other and with Hunter if we kept going. We were spiralling down a destructive path; I thought it would be better if we got some space from each other"

"You could have talked to me" Blaine shouted angrily before realising Hunter was still there asleep in the car "You could have said something" he sighed in a hushed tone

Kurt shook his head "Talking always turned to yelling and I was tired of fighting. I'm sorry I hurt you Blaine but I did it with the best of intentions, if that makes any sense" she sighed and rested his hands in his lap "You moved on, you're happy with Austin. I'm happy you're happy"

"Happy, right" Blaine shrugged as he opened the car door and got out. He wouldn't call what he had with Austin was always happy especially with him spending so much time at the hospital. Blaine was starting to feel like he was the only one in the relationship sometimes. "Thank you for driving us home"

"Anytime"

Blaine pulled his slumbering son out of the back seat and rested him on his hip "I'll give you a call and organise another day with Hunter. I know he enjoyed today" he smiled weakly "I had a great time this afternoon as well, thank you"

"I had a great time today with both of you, we should do it again"

"Bye Kurt"

"Bye Blaine" Kurt nodded and watched Blaine carry Hunter to the door of their apartment building and disappear behind it. Resting his head on the steering wheel, he took a deep breath. His heart pounded in his chest as he thought about everything both he and Blaine had said.

Never did he imagine that he would have Blaine and Hunter back in his life like this. Kurt didn't ever expect Blaine to speak to him again let alone spend time together with his, their son. Freaking out a little, Kurt hoped for the future. He hoped that Blaine and Hunter remained a part of that future whether it be a minor role or something more.

**Your thoughts?**

**I hope I'm not losing you guys as this story progresses. I love hearing what you think of the chapter and what you hope for Blaine, Kurt and Hunter. **


	9. Chapter 9

Austin rolled his shoulders and let out a hiss of pain as he rode the elevator up to his and Blaine's apartment. These long hours especially on his days off were really killing him but he needed to put in the time if he wanted to prove himself to his Attendings. He was starting to get more surgeries which meant he had impressed his bosses. If Austin impressed his Attendings now then when it came to applying for surgical fellowships, he would have their support.

Stepping out of the elevator, he made his way to the door of their apartment but didn't open it right away. He took a deep breath and mentally prepared himself for the fight Blaine was most likely to pick for spending his entire day off at the hospital. Walking into the apartment, he found Blaine curled up on the couch with a bowl of pasta that smelt like it had just been cooked.

"Hey" Blaine smiled weakly as he looked over the back of the couch at his boyfriend "Dinner is on the stove if you're hungry"

"Yeah, thanks" Austin nodded and discarded his bag and coat by the door before making his way into the kitchen. Dishing himself a bowl, he sat down beside Blaine on the couch unsure how close he could sit, he couldn't gauge his boyfriend's mood. Blaine laid the blanket that rested over his knees over Austin's as well as their feet intertwined.

"How's your patient?"

"Uh, not good" the young doctor shrugged gently "I had to take him back into surgery today to repair a tear in the heart muscle. He's in the ICU and I've got a couple interns on constant watch. We need him to make it through the night"

"Why didn't you stay?"

"All I would be doing is waiting with my interns. I'd rather he home with you and Hunter... Where is Hunter?"

"Asleep" Blaine chuckled "He had a big day realising he's a natural born skater. He was doing so well"

"You saw him skating?"

"Yeah" he shrugged "I caught up with Kurt and Hunter at the rink. It was a little depressing when my son skated rings around me"

"You skated with them" Austin stated with a slight nod of his head. He wasn't happy that Blaine spent the afternoon with Kurt doing an activity Austin knew his boyfriend enjoyed. The young doctor had felt like he was slowly losing Blaine back to Kurt as he became more prominent in their lives. While Kurt spent his time with Hunter, Austin could see how their friendship affected Blaine and his feelings toward his ex-fiancé.

Austin needed to somehow show Blaine what he would miss if he left.

Abandoning his bowl of pasta, Austin took Blaine's also and set them on the coffee table. He edged closer to his boyfriend slowly "Did your attempt to skate tire you out like it did Hunter?" he asked with a soft chuckle knowing Blaine wasn't the best on a pair of skates.

"I wasn't out on the ice long. I'm not tired yet..." he smiled hoping this was leading to another favoured activity he hadn't shared with Austin in a fortnight or so. He had missed his boyfriend so much that any thought of Kurt or the hospital slipped his mind.

Shifting on the couch til Blaine was lying down underneath him; Austin placed feather light kisses along his boyfriend's neck knowing it drove him wild. Austin rolled his hips down to meet Blaine's showing him exactly how he wanted to tire him out.

"Austin" Blaine gasped softly and pushed at Austin's shoulders gently until he was looking back at him "Bedroom, naked now"

"Yes, sir"

XXXXX

Blaine groaned softly as he felt Austin shift off his chest. He immediately missed the warmth of his boyfriend's bare torso pressed against his own.

"Don't go" he sighed softly

"I have to check on my patient and then I'll be home" Austin assured him as he pressed a soft kiss to Blaine's forehead "I can't handle a full shift at work, I'm exhausted. I promise I won't be long"

"That's a promise you've broken before" Blaine snapped softly as he sat up against the headboard. He had heard his boyfriend say those exact words time and time again and he rarely kept that promise.

Austin crawled back across the bed to his boyfriend cupping his face gently in his hands. He wasn't going to keep Blaine if they were going to fight again. Pressing his lips to Blaine's softly, Austin teased his boyfriend with a sneaky tongue along his bottom lip before pulling away.

"I'm not going to break that promise today" Austin insisted "I'm going to come home, take Hunter to hang out with Mercedes for the afternoon so we can finish what we started last night"

"I like the sound of that" he smiled as he linked his fingers with Austin's one last time.

"Go back to sleep beautiful boy, I'll be back soon"

Austin kissed his boyfriend's forehead softly before pushing himself off the bed and getting ready for work. Sadly there wasn't much he could do for his patient until he was a little stronger. Right now Austin just needed to make sure his interns hadn't done anything stupid through the night. He quickly showered and got changed before making himself a bowl of cereal. Checking on Hunter he found the seven year old still fast asleep snoring softly.

Austin finished his routine swiftly and within twenty minutes he was at the door grabbing his coat. The young doctor wrapped his scarf around his neck as he shut the door behind himself and made his way downstairs. Emerging from the elevator on the ground floor, Austin was caught off guard by a familiar face entering the building.

"Off to work again?" Kurt asked as he stopped in front of Austin. Both men eyed each other off cautiously. Neither liked the other and it seemed very clear in their expressions.

"Patient that I need to check on. Can I help you with something?" Austin answered as his jaw began to clench.

"No, it's fine. I'm just returning this to Blaine" Kurt smiled sweetly as he twisted Blaine's scarf in his hands sensing Austin's anger growing. "He left it in my car yesterday when I dropped him and Hunter home"

"I can give it to him"

"No, it's fine. You're on your way to work; I'll only be a minute"

"I will give it to him" the young doctor insisted as he held out his hand to Kurt. Snatching it from Kurt's grasps, he clutched it tight in his hands "Is that all?"

"I just wanted to check on Hunter as well, he was pretty exhausted yesterday afternoon. I really won't be long; I have to get back to New York"

"Hunter's fine, he was asleep when I left so maybe you should just head back to New York and stay there"

"Excuse me?"

"You don't belong here" Austin began as he crossed his arms tight across his chest "Blaine and Hunter were fine before you showed up not that you chose to see them. When were you going to remember you had a responsibility to them if you hadn't happened to come into the restaurant that night?"

"Blaine and Hunter are fine now with me here and who are you to tell me whether I care about my son or not?"

"He's not your son..."

"Yeah well he's not yours either" Kurt spat back as he took a step toward Austin. Barely an inch shorter than the doctor, Kurt wasn't intimidated by him "At least I'm here trying. You're off to work... again"

"I'm sorry if my job involves saving people's lives while yours is just prancing back and forth on a stage"

"That kind of attitude is why Blaine doesn't sing much anymore. Or really he just sings our song"

Austin took a step closer to Kurt so they were but an inch apart. This was the last straw and he wasn't going to let Kurt win "You need to stay the hell away from my family. You are just ruining every good thing Blaine did for Hunter and himself when they moved here"

"And what are you going to do if I don't?"

"You grew up in Ohio right?" Kurt nodded "I grew up down south where you get more than just pushed against a locker for being gay. I learnt to fight back"

"You're not a violent person..."

"No but when it comes to my family I will do absolutely everything in my power so scared and unreliable jerks like you don't hurt them like you already have. Every time you go back to New York to live the fabulous life you abandoned your family for, you lose a little bit more of Blaine's trust. You may as well just stay away now before you hurt him again"

"I'm not going to hurt him..."

"Didn't you make that same pledge when you and Blaine got engaged?" Austin asked with a sly smirk "Look where that got you..."

Kurt didn't realise how Austin had gotten into his head until thoughts of doubt suddenly clouded his mind. He realised that maybe Austin was right. He'd run before, what's to say he won't do it again. Kurt stuffed his hands in his pockets needed to get away from Austin and that building for a while. He needed to clear the doubt from his mind.

"Just tell Blaine that I will talk to him soon" Kurt managed to say softly before he turned on his heel and briskly walked back to his car. Slamming the door of his SUV behind him, Kurt took a few deep breaths. He didn't want Austin to be right but he couldn't help but think that maybe he was. Kurt wasn't the one that came to DC looking for Blaine and Hunter, their meeting was purely accidental. He had thought it was fate or a stroke of luck but maybe it wasn't meant to be like this. Blaine had been happy with Austin before Kurt came into the picture. Along with Hunter they were a family.

Maybe Kurt was better off back in New York.

**Austin shows off his, for lack of a better word, bitchy side.**

**Will it ruin everything?**

**Your thoughts?**


	10. Chapter 10

**For Klainers, I've found a lot of you are fans of Austin. I really hate to disappoint...**

"Wow bitch Austin bared his claws" Mercedes chuckled through the phone once Kurt had told her everything that happened that morning. He was in the car driving home and the silence was slowly killing him. He needed to talk to his best girl, someone who understood the situation.

"I guess I deserved it" Kurt sighed softly "Bitch Kurt fought back"

"And you should have"

"Hang on" he chuckled "I thought you liked Austin?"

"I do" Mercedes laughed "But I just think he's jealous that you're bonding so well with Hunter. The fact that you get along so well with that gorgeous little boy is not a bad thing"

"Maybe I should just stay away for a little while, let things cool down"

"You will do nothing of the sort" Mercedes snapped scaring her friend a little. Thankful that he was stopping at a set of traffic lights, Kurt focused his attention on his cell that sat in it's dock on the dashboard. "You can't run away again. You'll never get to see Hunter again if you do"

"But Austin said..."

"Yeah that's Austin but what does Blaine say? Last time I checked _Blaine_ was Hunter's father"

"I know" Kurt sighed softly as the light turned green and he accelerated "Austin's threat seemed pretty serious though. I'm sure he can break bones just as well as he can mend them"

"You'd get your ass kicked harder by Blaine than you would Austin" Mercedes chuckled "Besides, he would never hurt you because in turn that would hurt Hunter. That little boy is the centre of all this"

"I can't help but feel like I'm messing with this poor kid by coming back. He was happy with Blaine and Austin before I came back"

Kurt could hear Mercedes sigh heavily on the other end of the phone. She was so sick of Kurt putting himself down for trying to make things right with the family he left. "Maybe you should just stay in New York; clearly you don't love Hunter enough to fight for him"

"That is not fair" Kurt snapped "Of course I love him but how is he going to benefit from me coming in and just disrupting his life?"

"If I know Hunter, he's never going to complain about having one extra person adoring him" she smiled "I really think you should talk to Blaine. See where he is in all this and how he feels. What Austin says and what Blaine feels could be two very different things and I know Blaine has his son's best interests at heart"

"Life wouldn't have been so damn complicated if I never left in the first place" Kurt sighed softly as he turned onto the highway. He wouldn't be trying to get to know Hunter if he'd never left all those years ago and he wouldn't be watching Blaine live life with another man if he'd just stayed. Leaving was Kurt's greatest regret in life and while he was trying to make up for his mistakes, maybe it wasn't what was best for his family. "Austin said that I didn't belong and in a way don't you think he's right? I left this life seven years ago and anyway, I didn't find Blaine for myself, Dad and Carole just insisted we had dinner out that night and we ended up in Georgetown"

"Which is a little far from Burt and Carole's apartment in the city, don't you think? There's plenty of good places around DuPont Circle and even right in middle of DC. Question, who booked the table at Hunter's Kitchen that night?" Mercedes began smiling to herself.

"Carole did, why?"

"And do you know how she heard about that particular restaurant?"

"I think one of the men Dad works with mentioned it, what are you getting at?"

"Your parents are very crafty when they want to be. Did you ever think that maybe they knew Blaine owned Hunter's Kitchen?" Mercedes suggested "Just think about it..."

"They didn't know how Blaine and I broke up exactly. They thought it was mutual" Kurt reminded her shooting down the idea that maybe they had something to do with all this.

"Mutual or not, Burt and Carole knew from the minute they first met Blaine back when we were in high school that you two were soul mates" she shrugged "Maybe they realised that you needed to see him again hoping it made you happy because let's face it, you weren't happy before you saw Hunter and Blaine that night. You haven't been happy for seven years"

XXXXX

"_There's a room where the light won't find you__. __Holding hands while the walls come tumbling down__. __When they do I'll be right behind you_" Blaine sung softly as he strummed his guitar lightly. It felt good to sing again even if it was just messing around on his guitar. Putting Hunter to bed half an hour ago, Blaine was now waiting for Austin to get home. Why he had hoped his boyfriend would be home during the daylight, Blaine didn't know.

No more than twenty minutes later the apartment door opened and shut quietly. Placing his bag by the door, Austin removed Blaine's scarf before making his way across the apartment. Austin laid the scarf over Blaine's shoulder, letting it drape over his guitar causing the young man to stop playing.

"Where did you find this? I thought I left it..." Blaine commented until he was abruptly cut off

"In Kurt's car. You didn't tell me he drove you home yesterday" Austin growled softly as he made his way into the kitchen and pulled a beer from the fridge. He needed alcohol after his day he'd had and the night he wasn't looking forward to.

"So Kurt drove Hunter and I home, no big deal"

"No big deal?" Austin sighed "You didn't tell me"

"Because it was no big deal" Blaine insisted as he rested his guitar back on it's stand "Why is this such an issue?"

"I don't like Kurt being around so much" the young doctor admitted "I just feel like he's a square peg trying to push into a round holed family. It doesn't work"

"Why are you threatened by him?" he asked softly but Austin gave him no immediate response. Taking a seat at the dining table, Austin had a sip of his beer before peering across at Blaine.

"Kurt doesn't belong in our family, he has no place here with you or Hunter, not anymore" Austin insisted as he yanked his hands through his hair "He broke your heart when he left and you're just going to give him a second chance? He didn't intentionally come back into your life, it was just a coincidence or did you forget about that?"

"No I didn't forget about that but why does it matter? Kurt saw Hunter at the restaurant that night and he took the opportunity to right his wrongs"

"He's seven years too late for that. You of all people should not be giving him a second chance"

"Me of all people?" Blaine coughed "I feel like all I ever do is give second chances. You're on the receiving end of most of them lately"

"Me?"

"Where did you go after you left the hospital this morning?"

"I was at the hospital all day" Austin lied as he stood from the table unaware his boyfriend knew the truth. After his run in with Kurt that morning, Austin just wasn't in the mood to go home. He wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone so he took all his frustration out at the gym. He spent the better part of three hours avoiding his home life and the inevitable discussion that was now happening about Kurt. Austin didn't want to keep away from Blaine but he too was getting frustrated.

"I respect that you need your space sometimes but Hunter hasn't seen you in 3 days. I'm sick of telling him you're always at the hospital even if you aren't necessarily there" Blaine sighed as he sat down in the place Austin just vacated watching his boyfriend start to pace. Running his hands through his hair, he took a few deeps breaths before looking back at his boyfriend "Kurt is trying with Hunter and I commend him for that. I am not the kind of person to just completely shut someone like him out after everything he and I once had. Kurt was my best friend for a long time. He's..."

"Is there something going on between you two?"

"Excuse me?"

"Is there something going on between you and Kurt?" Austin asked once again. At that moment, it seemed like a logical explanation for why Blaine was giving Kurt this chance.

Blaine couldn't believe what he was hearing. How did all this turn into Blaine cheating with Kurt? "If you think Kurt and I were doing anything behind your back then what was last night all about? Were you seducing me to see if I was still interested or just proving that you're the better lover than he is?"

"That's not..."

Blaine stood up and made his way over to Austin "I wouldn't lie to you especially about something like that. There is nothing going on between Kurt and I"

"Is there still anything going on between us?"

"I don't know" Blaine sighed and retreated to his room, picking up his scarf off the piano as he went.

**Your thoughts? **

**Are Blaine and Austin at the beginning of their end? Will Kurt ever tell Blaine how he feels about him?**


	11. Chapter 11

**So sorry for the major delay! Life just got a little busy**

Austin folded up the blankets he used the night before in silence and laid them back over the couch. Peering in Blaine's direction, the young doctor wasn't surprised that his boyfriend hadn't spoken a word to him since he got up. Their fight, one of many, was the worst by far. Neither of them knew if they could find a common ground on the issue of Kurt and it scared them both to think this was what tore them apart. This however was the one thing that could spell the end of their 3 year relationship.

"Hey Austin, check out the new shirt Uncle Cooper sent me" Hunter smiled brightly as he spotted Austin hovering by the entrance to the kitchen.

"Looks awesome, bud" Austin chuckled weakly as he admired the seven year old's superhero tee "Uh, I don't have to be at work til late so I can drop you at school on my way if you want" he suggested with a weak shrug.

"He has band practice before school so I'm going to take him" Blaine answered before Hunter could say anything.

"Oh, ok then"

Austin slipped into the kitchen as Blaine finally sat down at the bench beside Hunter so he could grab a cup of coffee. Leaning against the bench furthest way, Austin didn't need to create another reason for he and Blaine to fight again. However silent, they were at least civil in front of Hunter.

"Can Austin pick me up from school? Mrs Patterson said she's going to give us our Art books back today and he hasn't seen what I drew"

"Austin has to wor..." Blaine began before he was quickly cut off by his boyfriend.

"I'll be there to pick you up, bud" Austin assured the young boy. Nodding to Blaine, he tried to silently assure Blaine as well that he would be there on time to pick Hunter up.

"And then can we go to the restaurant for dinner? The Raiders are playing the Giants" Hunter asked trying to push the envelope a little further. He knew he was asking for a lot especially when his Dad and Austin hadn't said a word to each other all morning but it was worth a shot. He didn't like seeing his Dad miserable like he was.

"Sure thing" Blaine nodded and took one last sip of his coffee "You ready to go to school? Can't have you late for band practice"

Hunter nodded and jumped off his stool, racing back to his bedroom to get his backpack. Cleaning up his own and his son's breakfast plates, Blaine slipped past Austin without a word. Austin took a step toward Blaine in hope to say something, anything but was interrupted by Hunter jogging back into the kitchen area.

"Have you got your sheet music this time? You won't be much use without it" Blaine chuckled and smoothed down his son's curls before grabbing his wallet and keys off the bench.

"Got it" he giggled "And the spare set Mr Murray gave me in case I lost the first set"

"Good boy"

Blaine headed for the door without even so much as a goodbye and waited for his son there. Hunter pulled Austin into a tight hug, the first in a few days before saying his goodbyes. Austin promised once more to be there when school let out and watched the pair leave. Sighing softly, he retreated to his and Blaine's room to get ready for the day ahead. While he probably shouldn't be leaving work early that day, he was determined to be outside Hunter's school when that final bell rang out to pick him up.

XXXXX

"Blaine...Hey Blaine?"

"What?" Blaine snapped angrily causing Sam to jump back slightly in shock. Realising how harsh he'd just sounded, Blaine took a deep breath and turned slowly to his best friend "Sorry"

"Are you ok?" Sam asked tentatively. Blaine had kept to himself all morning staying reasonably quiet and it worried the blonde. His best friend was usually so happy and full of life even when work was slow or they had a difficult customer. He was always so calm even when something was pissing him off... Well usually.

"Austin and I..." he began but didn't know exactly how to finish his sentence. They weren't broken up, they weren't happy, they were fighting but they weren't talking. "Austin and I are on the rocks"

"Again?" Nikita sighed as she made her way past the bar hearing her boss' conversation.

"Don't you have a wine shipment to unpack?"

"Yes, sir"

Blaine knew he shouldn't have snapped at Nikita but everything was setting off his anger today no matter how trivial. What Blaine hated more than fighting with Austin was how his mood and emotions affected his work. He couldn't take his anger out on people who were just helping him run his business.

"You know I'm here if you ever need to talk" Sam smiled weakly with a slight shrug.

"Thanks" Blaine nodded as he picked up a tray of glasses he needed to take to the kitchen "I don't think there's much left to talk about"

Blaine went about his business quietly only talking to answer questions or ask his staff to do something. While he did was necessary around the restaurant, Blaine's staff walked on eggshells around their young boss. No-one wanted to upset him especially after Nikita informed them all of his personal issues. Nothing travelled faster in that place than gossip.

"It's almost four, take a break" Sam insisted as he took the stack of clean plates from his friends hands "You've been working your ass off since you got here this morning, you need to relax for a minute"

"I'm fine" Blaine insisted even though his shoulders were killing him. If he stopped then he would just replay every little thing he and Austin had been fighting over for the last couple weeks. Work was distracting him from life.

"At least..."

"Phone call for you Blaine" Emma called out from the other side of the kitchen

"Perfect timing" Sam chuckled nudging his best friend slightly. Sighing loudly, Blaine asked Emma to put whoever it was on hold so he could take it in his office. Maybe he did need a break even just for a minute.

Blaine made his way into his office and took a seat half expecting to hear Austin's voice on the other end of the phone telling him he wasn't going to pick Hunter up. He was pleasantly surprised when it was another familiar voice.

"Blaine, hey" Kurt smiled as he took a seat on the edge of the stage. At rehearsals, he thought he would give Blaine a quick call while everyone broke for lunch. After his talk with Mercedes a couple days before, he was determined to clear up everything with Blaine. He needed to know where he stood in their little family.

"Hey"

"You sound tired"

"Apparently" he chuckled softly and relaxed back in his desk chair. Ok a break was just what he needed after his day so far. "Hunter had a great time with you the other day. He's been asking when he can go skating again"

"I had such a great day with him too; he's a gorgeous little boy"

Blaine smiled slightly at how Kurt spoke of his son. The pure happiness in the other's man's voice carried all the way from New York "Let me know when you plan on coming back down to DC and I'll make sure his skates are sharpened"

"Uh, I was actually thinking of heading down tomorrow but not to see Hunter" Kurt began knowing Blaine had his eyebrows knitted together in confusion. It was always the cutest the expression in Kurt's mind "I wanted to talk to you actually"

"About your run in with Austin?"

"He told you?"

"Not in so many words" Blaine chuckled dryly. Austin didn't need to tell Blaine what happened when he saw Kurt to know roughly what happened.

"I'd like to just catch up for coffee and talk" Kurt suggested with a shrug "Just us?"

"Sounds good" he smiled "Same place as last time?"

Kurt agreed to their meeting point and time before excusing himself to go back to rehearsals. He couldn't help but think how easy it was to organise all that when he had been slightly freaking out since the last time he was in DC.

Making his way back out into the restaurant, Blaine was happy to see the bright face of his son walking through the door. He was also happy to see Austin walk in behind him even if it only meant the young doctor kept his promise. It didn't take long for Hunter to dive into a detailed recount of his day at school and the snowball fight he was a part of at lunch time. Both Blaine and Austin listened intently but never uttered a word to each other.

Hunter excused himself when he finally took a breath and raced off to the bathroom. Turning to Austin, Blaine took a deep breath praying what he was about to say wouldn't end up in a fight.

"I'm going to be honest with you because I think we both at least deserve that much" Blaine began "I got a call from Kurt and he's coming down to DC tomorrow"

"You're not going to let him take Hunter out of school for a day when they only just saw each other, are you?"

"He's not coming to see Hunter..."

"Right" Austin sighed softly "So I guess you've made your choice"

"That's not fair..."

"What's not fair is you forgiving him for what he did" the doctor snapped softly "I just can't sit here and watch you do something stupid like this"

"Stupid?" Blaine scoffed "I'm trying to give Kurt a second chance and all you're doing is fighting it"

"Maybe I'm sick of fighting" Austin mumbled before he stood up from his stool "I have to go back to work for a surgery. Tell Hunter I will see him in the morning"

Turning for the door, Austin was almost there when he heard Blaine speak up "I respect you for fighting for Hunter, I know that he means the world to you. Not once though did you really fight for me. I have to wonder what I mean to you..."

"I loved you Blaine" Austin answered softly as he placed his hand on the door

"Past tense..."

"Yeah"

**Ouch**

**Your thoughts?**


	12. Chapter 12

**Short but after the massive wait before the last chapter, I thought it only fair to treat you guys to this one... Don't hate me for it**

Blaine shrugged the snow off his coat as he entered the small, cramped cafe. Spotting the ever familiar head of bronze hair by the window, he made his way over to Kurt's table sitting down with a soft sigh. He'd had a rough morning with Austin not even coming home and Hunter throwing a tantrum in an attempt to have a day off school.

Kurt pushed a large coffee cup toward the curly haired man with a slight smile. It looked like he needed it. Taking a sip, he savoured the sweet taste and aroma of his Caramel Latte for a moment before setting his cup down.

"Are you..." Kurt began, not quite sure how to start their conversation "Is.. How's Hunter?"

"Hating me a little right now" Blaine chuckled dryly and told Kurt about the seven year old's tantrum to rival all tantrums. For a child that was usually so calm and adored school, Hunter knew how to throw an epic hissy fit which usually got him what he wanted. Blaine didn't want any of his son's manipulation that morning and Hunter was sent to school with a little candy bar in his lunchbox and a reminder that Christmas was only a few days away. "He can get in line"

"Behind who?"

"I think Austin and I broke up last night"

"Oh Blaine, I'm sorry" Kurt sighed genuinely sad for his friend despite any romantic feeling he still harboured for the man. It was never good to go through a breakup and it's a pain no-one should ever have to feel "Do you want to talk about it? About why?"

"It was because of you"

"Me?" Kurt coughed almost spilling his coffee. Taken by surprise, he really needed Blaine to explain himself before he jumped to his own conclusions.

"It wasn't your fault exactly" Blaine clarified "Austin couldn't respect my decision to give you another chance with Hunter"

"He was right to have doubts..."

"At first, yes. I had them too" he sighed and took another sip of his coffee before continuing "But you've proved yourself. You've made Hunter a priority since you came back a couple months ago and I know you Kurt, I can see you're in this for the long haul"

"You're not worried I'll bolt like last time?"

"Are you going to run away again?" Blaine asked as he kept eye contact with Kurt. He had known the other man for a very long time and even after their time apart, he could still tell when Kurt was having doubts about something.

"I'm back for good this time" Kurt assured him "Hunter is my whole world and I'm going to be the father I should have been 7 years ago"

"I'm not asking you to be in DC full time because that's not possible and I won't let you, I just need Hunter to know that you're always going to be there when he needs you" the curly haired man insisted with a soft sigh. Hunter's life was going to change when Austin and Blaine did break up; he was going to need someone like Kurt in his life.

Blaine couldn't help but feel he was going to let Hunter down when his relationship with Austin came to it's inevitable and definite end. The seven year old had gotten so close to Austin and now it was over. Blaine had introduced Austin into his son's life after years of keeping people away and while it would break Blaine's heart to see him go, he couldn't imagine what affect it'll have on Hunter.

"I'll always be here when both of you need me. I adore Hunter, he's a beautiful child but you're a big part of my DC visits too. I haven't even begun making up for breaking your heart. I'll spend forever apologising to you, Blaine" Kurt smiled as he reached across the table and took Blaine's hand in his own. It wasn't time to reveal his true feelings for Blaine but he at least wanted his ex-fiancé to know that he would always care deeply for him.

Blaine looked down at their joint hands for a moment before pulling his away gently. Kurt was prepared to fight for him without even asking and it stunned Blaine a little. He was thankful that both Kurt and Austin would do anything for his son but it was nice to have someone think of him too.

It was nice but Blaine couldn't help but think of Austin.

XXXXX

"This is crunch time Dad, the Raiders have to win or there's no hope left" Hunter sighed with great exaggeration as he bounded in front f his father toward their apartment door. After coffee with Kurt turned into a late lunch, Blaine didn't have time to do much before he needed to pick Hunter up from school. The talk of that night's football game filled their journey home and maintained Blaine's reasonably good mood.

"No hope huh?" Blaine laughed as he unlocked the door to their apartment. His laughter instantly died off when he noticed two suitcases packed and ready by the door "Hey Hunter, why don't you go play in your room for a little bit? The replay doesn't start for a while and I just want to talk to Austin"

"Ok" Hunter smiled and skipped over to Austin, pulling him into a quick hug. Pressing a soft kiss to the little boy's hair, Austin watched Hunter disappear into his bedroom before turning back to Blaine.

"So you're leaving?"

"I'm going to stay with my brother til I can sort a few things out, find a place of my own" Austin shrugged as he dug his hands into the pockets of his jeans. As much as he wanted to avoid an awkward situation with Blaine, he needed to see Blaine before he left. He at least owed that to him. "My share of the rent is on the counter and Hunter's Christmas presents from my Mom are under the tree. I just wish it wasn't so close to Christmas, I know how excited Hunter is"

"You're still welcome at Christmas lunch, for Hunter" Blaine suggested quietly. He hated that Christmas was going to be negatively affected for his son but Blaine and Austin just didn't work together anymore.

"I'll drop by sometime Christmas Day to see him but it's going to break my heart every time I see him... and you" the young doctor sniffed "I think it's better if we make a clean break, for everyone's sake. I'll say goodbye to him then"

Austin took a deep breath to calm himself down before he made his way toward the door. Catching Austin's hand as he slipped past, Blaine squeezed it gently.

"I'm sorry Austin"

"I'm sorry too"

Austin turned to Blaine slowly and pressed a sweet kiss to his temple. Lingering for a moment, he whispered a soft goodbye before picking up his bags and walking out of the apartment. Blaine took a deep breath and watched the door for a moment. It wasn't that he hoped Austin would walk back in an all would be ok; he just had to adjust to life without him.

"Dad?" Hunter called from the corridor. He wasn't sure what was going on and it worried him to see his father look so sad.

Blaine snapped back to reality at the sound of his son's voice and turned away from the door "How about we make up some pasta for dinner? Grandma's secret recipe"

"Can I stir the sauce?"

"Course you can, bud" Blaine smiled with as much conviction as he could muster and made his way over to his son. Pulling him into his arms, Blaine hugged his son gently before setting him up on the kitchen stool.

"Hey Dad?" the seven year old piped up after watching his father bustle around the kitchen for a few minutes.

"Yeah?"

"Austin's not coming back is he?"

"No, he's not"

**Your thoughts?**


	13. Chapter 13

**So I've been on a roll with this story especially with it coming to an end soon (sad, I know) so while life isn't so hectic, I thought I would give you guys another chapter. **

**There's only 2 maybe 3 chapters left**

_Three Weeks Later_

"Thank you again Mr Fitzpatrick" Blaine smiled as he pulled a sour looking Hunter against his side as if to prompt a response out of him too.

"Thanks Mr F, see you tomorrow" Hunter spoke up quietly with a weak smile. Mr Fitzpatrick returned the pleasantries and shut the door behind the Anderson pair. "Tell me I don't have to go back tomorrow"

Blaine hushed his son and quickly ushered him back into their own apartment before he said anything else "Mr Fitzpatrick is nice"

"He's boring" the seven year old whinged as he dropped his school bag by the door and trudged to the kitchen for a glass of water "He made me play the piano all afternoon"

"You like to play the piano" Blaine pointed out with a chuckle as he followed his son into the kitchen and started pulling out what he needed to bake a batch of cupcakes. It was Georgetown Day School's annual bake sale tomorrow and Blaine was making his famous Choc Mint Cupcakes.

"But he made me play the same song over and over again til I got it right"

"Maybe he's trying to teach you something?"

Blaine couldn't help but laugh at his son's dramatic sigh as he sat up on the stool. Hunter was a bit of a drama queen and while Blaine wanted to blame Santana's DNA for that he knew it was 100% his own fault.

It was three weeks after Blaine and Austin broke up and Hunter wasn't taking too well to the new after school carer. The soon to be eight year old had gotten so comfortable to Austin picking him up from school and hanging out with the young doctor that it was a big change to spend a lot of his afternoons with their older and slightly grumpy neighbour. Mr Fitzpatrick adored that little boy even if he didn't return the feeling.

"Mr Fitzpatrick loves hanging out with you especially when his own grandkids live on the other side of the country" Blaine insisted as he leant down on the kitchen counter in front of his son "But if makes you feel better Kurt will be here next week and he's staying with his parents for a couple days..."

"Can he pick me up from school and go skating with me?"

"Only if you're good for Mr Fitzpatrick and you eat all your vegies"

"Deal" the little boy smiled brightly even though he hoped he didn't have to uphold the vegetables part of the promise. He still couldn't stomach carrots.

"Why don't you go change out of your school clothes then come help me with these cupcakes. The beaters need someone to lick them"

"That's the best bit!" Hunter giggled as he jumped off the stool and raced for his bedroom. Stopping right before he got to his door, the little boy ran back into the kitchen "Hey Dad?"

"Yeah bud?"

"I miss Austin but I guess Mr Fitzpatrick is alright. This is the first time you've been normal happy since Christmas"

Blaine was speechless as his son made his way back to his bedroom. The last few weeks had been rough on both of them but Blaine had hoped he'd masked his pain in front of Hunter. The young father wasn't surprised that his son had paid so much attention to his mood since Christmas. Hunter was a smart kid who was too observant for his own good.

XXXXX

"_Hey Dad?"_

"_Yeah?"_

"_Austin's not coming back is he?"_

"_No, he's not" Blaine sighed softly as he took a seat at the dining table and gestured for Hunter to join him. The seven year old climbed up beside his father with some sort of idea about what this conversation was going to be about "Sometimes when adults are a partnership like Austin and I were, they fight about different things and the partnership doesn't work quite like it used to. Austin and I..."_

"_Stopped loving each other?" Hunter shrugged trying to finish his father's sentence. _

"_Not exactly, we just don't love each other in the same way we did a long time ago. I guess it's been a long time coming and we've both just realised that this was the end" the elder Anderson sighed softly and took Hunter's hands gently "That doesn't mean either of us love you any less, you know that right?"_

_Hunter nodded "I know because you always fought when you thought I was asleep"_

"_I'm sorry you had to hear any of that"_

"_It's ok" he shrugged "Austin's really not coming back?"_

"_He'll come and see you but he's moving all his things out. Austin and I have been fighting with each other for a long time and while me made up sometimes, it wasn't enough"_

"_Are you sad?"_

"_Yeah but I won't always be, give it time" Blaine smiled weakly and pulled his son into his arms. Hugging him gently, he pressed a soft kiss to the boy's temple "You can be sad about him being gone, that's ok"_

"_Ok"_

XXXXX

Blaine excused himself with his oh so charming smile and stepped away from the crowd of mother's to answering his ringing cell. His smile never faltered as he saw who was calling.

"I love being the only gay parent in Hunter's grade, the mothers think I'm adorable" Blaine laughed into the phone. He was at Georgetown Day School's Bake Sale supporting the school and watching his cupcakes disappear. They were famous for a reason.

"And you haven't put on your classic charm and melted those Soccer Mom hearts?" Kurt chuckled knowing it wouldn't have been hard for those Moms to fall head over heels for Blaine. He knew how to turn on the charisma and anyone would be putty in his hands.

"No..."

"Uh-huh sure" the singer chuckled before his laughter died down. He really didn't want to tell Blaine what he had to say especially when he was in such a good mood. "Blaine, I have some bad news" he began "I have to stay in New York next week. My director has decided to completely change an act of the show and if we're going to have it ready for our next show, we need to rehearse all week"

"It's ok"

"Blaine I'm so sorry, I hate that I have to do this especially after everything I said before Christmas" Kurt sighed and Blaine could almost hear the other man pacing back and forth as he rambled "I'm such a horrible person, I'm breaking all the promises I made already. I've let Hunter down when you told me I needed to be there for him"

"Kurt!"

"He's going to be so angry at me for not coming to DC and I just can't see him hate me again. I'm so incredibly sorry Blaine"

"Kurt!" Blaine called through the phone once more and finally got his attention "its ok, these things happen"

"You're not angry?"

"I'm a little disappointed and I know Hunter will be too but it's alright" he chuckled softly. He was annoyed that Kurt couldn't come down for a few days but this was the first time he had ever had to cancel. Blaine honestly thought Kurt would have cancelled on dates a lot sooner and for worse reasons. Knowing how hard Kurt had been working to be in DC so much for Hunter, Blaine understood that sometimes things got in the way.

"You're not mad I'm choosing work over Hunter?" Kurt asked softly and anxiously because that was exactly what happened 7 years ago.

Blaine took a deep breath knowing what Kurt was alluding to "7 years ago you weren't in a successful Broadway show and doing everything in your power to make Hunter happy. 7 years ago you were distant from me and just trying to break out in the business. We're both more mature now and I can't see you lose your job from missing rehearsals"

"Blaine..."

"Sometimes it's the not forgiving that holds us back, Kurt" Blaine shrugged "I'll talk to Hunter and we'll talk to you soon"

Not forgiving Kurt was holding them back from ever mending their relationship if it was just as friends. Kurt couldn't be involved in Hunter's life if Blaine was still holding so much against him. Of course Blaine couldn't forget what his ex-fiancé did 7 years ago but he couldn't help but think maybe it was time to move past all that if not for his own good but for Hunter.

After hanging up from Kurt, Blaine leant against the window sill away from the bake sale. While Kurt's phone call and pure devastation in his voice still played on his mind, the young father also thought of Austin.

There was nothing to really forgive between them. Austin wasn't really doing anything wrong; he just had his own opinion. He couldn't maintain a relationship with Blaine if he intended on forgiving Kurt and Blaine had to somehow respect that. If the situation was reversed, Blaine may have felt the same but it wasn't and he had to think of his own happiness and the happiness of his son.

"Blaine?" Ashley Jensen, Hunter's best friend Cooper's Mom called and snapped the young father back to reality "All your cupcakes are gone"

"Already?" he chuckled and made his way back to the group of mothers that were begging for the recipe "A chef never reveals his secrets"

**Your thoughts?**

**I know a lot of you loved Austin and I am sorry for the break up but this is essentially a Klaine story... **


	14. Chapter 14

Sam coughed softly into the microphone before tapping it gently to test it was working. When the amp let out a noise so high pitched dogs were howling, he knew he'd gotten the attention of the entire restaurant.

"Uh, hey everyone" he chuckled trying to ignore the grumpy comments from several customers about the amp "Welcome to Hunter's Kitchen's world famous Open Mic Night!"

Rewarded with a round of applause from the patrons in the restaurant, Sam waved out at everyone before continuing. Standing up on the small stage Blaine had built in the corner by the window, Sam's tall figure squeezed in beside a beautiful mahogany upright piano, stool, microphone and amp. With a couple lights set up, their stage was nothing special but it served its purpose when they decided to throw an Open Mic Night in their schedule.

"First up I would like to welcome my beautiful and amazingly talented wife Mercedes to the stage" he beamed as Mercedes made her way toward the stage "If you want to join in the fun, signup sheet is on the bar just talk to Hunter and he will slot you in"

The audience applauded once more as Mercedes placed a soft kiss on her husband's cheek before taking his place on the small stage. With the help of Blaine's good friend Alex on piano, Mercedes gave a beautiful performance of 'Bridge Over Troubled Water'.

The performances continued on but none rivalling Mercedes smooth tones. There were a lot of talented people in Hunter's Kitchen that night but there were also a lot that needed a few more lessons.

"How's the sign ups going, bud?" Blaine asked his son with a smile as they crossed paths by the door to the kitchen. Happy to have his son help out that night, Blaine knew there was always someone looking out for Hunter making sure he was ok. Blaine was lucky to have an amazing staff that went out of their way for his little boy.

"It's nearly full" Hunter beamed proud of himself for working so hard "Nikita is watching over it for a minute, I had to pee and I got kinda hungry" he giggled and followed Blaine into the kitchen where two burgers were waiting for them. Slipping back into the restaurant, they both needed a break and took the opportunity to watch a few of the performances. "Are you going to sing tonight Dad?"

"I don't know if there's going to be time" he chuckled

"I'm sure we can make time, you're the boss"

"That I am" Blaine smiled as he and Hunter ate their dinner. Blaine had sung at just about every Open Mic Night that he'd held at the restaurant and it always felt so good to perform again. This time however, he just didn't feel like it. He was still a little disappointed that Kurt had to stay in New York and was missing all this.

Sneaking a piece of cheesecake from the kitchen to share, neither Hunter nor Blaine really wanted to go back to work; they were enjoying the show too much. The pair either sang along with the performer or ridiculed how badly they were singing.

"Next up we have a classic from The Beatles sung by a Mr... Kurt Hummel" Nikita announced and the slim figure making his way onto the stage was welcomed with warm applause.

From the back of the restaurant, Hunter and Blaine almost dropped their spoons and looked at each other in shock. Neither of them knew Kurt was coming to DC and were both happily surprised to see him.

_Yeah, I'll tell you something_

_I think you'll understand_

_When I'll say that something_

_I want to hold your hand_

_I want to hold your hand_

_I want to hold your hand_

XXXXX

"That was incredible but what are you doing here?" Blaine gasped at Kurt once he'd made his way through the restaurant to where he and Hunter were sitting. "I thought you had to work"

"We got out early?" Kurt shrugged with a chuckle

"You got an early mark and so you decided to drive 4 hours to DC?"

"What can I say? Rehearsals didn't go for as long as planned" he chuckled and pulled Hunter up into his arms and hugging him tight "Plus I kind of missed both of you... a lot"

"Both of us?" Hunter asked hopefully and Kurt nodded. The little boy saw how happy Kurt was around his Dad and how Blaine had warmed up to Kurt once again. Even if they were just friends, Hunter was glad to see his Dad happy again. "We missed you too"

"Why don't you take a seat, I have to check on a few things but I'm sure I can score another piece of cheesecake out of the kitchen for you guys" Blaine smiled and held the chair out for Kurt waiting til he sat down before heading off to the kitchen. Making sure everything was running smoothly, Blaine managed to grab the last piece of cheesecake.

"Kurt's here" Sam chuckled as he stopped Blaine at the door of the kitchen

"Kurt's here"

"You can't wipe that smile off your face" the blonde laughed happy to see his friend happy himself

"Kurt is here, Sam" Blaine smiled with a shrug as he pushed through the kitchen door. Looking over to where Hunter and Kurt were sitting, Blaine couldn't help but smile at their interaction. This is what made Blaine happiest, to see Hunter laughing and smiling and knowing Kurt was the one causing those giggles. This is how it should have been; this is how Blaine wanted his life to happen from the start.

"That looks good" Kurt chuckled as Blaine set the piece of Blueberry Cheesecake down on the table along with two spoons.

"I'm full but you guys enjoy it" Hunter giggled as he jumped off his seat "I just have to go... do something"

"What are..." Blaine began but didn't bother to finish his sentence because the seven year old was already half way across the restaurant "I'm confused"

"And now to welcome an exceptional young man to the stage" Nikita spoke through the microphone as everyone hushed "7 year old Hunter Anderson is here to perform a special piano piece with the help of Mr Fitzpatrick. Take it away Hunter"

"Uhm, hi" Hunter smiled out at the audience nervously. Placing a soft hand on the little boy's shoulder, Mr Fitzpatrick told him not to be scared and that they knew this song back to front and back again. "Sometimes I wonder if my Dad knows any other songs but this one so this is for you Dad"

Blaine's heart caught in his throat as the first few notes echoed through the restaurant. The young father did his best not to cry as he watched his son on stage.

**Your thoughts?**

**What song is Hunter playing? Hint: Chapter 8 holds the answer**


	15. Chapter 15

**So this is the last chapter! **

**Oh and if you said 'Teenage Dream' for Hunter's song then you would be...**

"You make me feel like I'm living a teenage dream, the way you turn me on. I can't sleep, let's run away and don't ever look back. Don't ever look back" Blaine sung softly along to the beautiful piano melody that his son was so skilfully playing up on stage. A classic he pulled out at just about every Open Mic Night, Blaine knew this song better than any other. It had always held a special place in his heart.

Kurt laid his hand gently on Blaine's knee as Hunter performed, so proud of the little boy. Blaine didn't flinch or pull away from the touch but looked down with a fond smile. This was after all their song, it had always been. As the song ended and Hunter played the final note, Blaine rested his hand over Kurt's squeezing it gently before standing up to applaud his son. Blaine could not be any prouder of Hunter in that very moment.

The seven year old raced from the stage to where his father was and was immediately swept up into Blaine's arms and hugged tightly. The tears that Blaine had tried so hard to stop fell freely as held his son for a moment more.

"That was amazing, Hunter"

"You liked it?" he giggled as Blaine let him down so Kurt could jump in for a brief embrace

"I loved it, so much" Blaine smiled and knelt down to his son's level "You blew me away with that, I can't tell you how incredibly proud I am of you"

Hunter launched himself back into his father's arms and hugged him as tight as his little arms could. He loved his Dad more than anyone in this world and it gave the little boy the most amazing feeling knowing how happy Blaine was. All he wanted to do was make his Dad happy with that song.

The congratulations and compliments to Hunter flowed for the rest of the night and before Blaine had the chance to sing himself, the show was coming to an end. One last duet from Mercedes and Sam rounded out the performances and everyone in the restaurant started to make their way home for the night.

Blaine flipped the sign on the door to 'Closed' as the last of the customers departed and let out a deep breath with a smile. It had been a long but a very good night. Making his way back through the restaurant, Blaine couldn't help but chuckle as he saw Hunter asleep with his head on Kurt's lap.

"It's exhausting being a superstar" Kurt smiled as he ran his fingers gently through Hunter's chocolate curls.

"I still can't believe he played 'Teenage Dream' tonight" Blaine chuckled still amazed at his son's performance. It would take a while for him to get over how incredible Hunter was that night.

"It's a..." Kurt began trying to find the right words

"It's a special song" the young father smiled shyly. Blaine had always associated that song with Kurt even when he sang it after he left. It was the song that started such a great love story. No matter how the story ended, it was still so special. "I should get Hunter home"

"Right" Kurt nodded and watched Blaine lift a slumbering Hunter into his arms gently. Standing himself, Kurt picked up his coat getting ready to leave. Chickening out once again, all Kurt wanted to do was tell Blaine how he felt. He just wanted Blaine to know it was seeing him and his beautiful smile that brought him to DC that night. As much as he wanted to see Hunter, he was desperate to see Blaine again.

"Thank you for coming tonight. Hunter was so excited to see you"

"What about you? Were you happy to see me?"

Blaine took a deep breath and stepped toward Kurt, placing a soft kiss on his cheek "You coming tonight really meant a lot to me" he smiled before picking up his son's coat and laying it over the seven year old's shoulders.

Kurt savoured the feeling of Blaine's lips on his cheek for a moment and before he knew it Blaine and Hunter were halfway to the door. Watching the pair prepare to leave, Kurt just couldn't hold it in anymore "I miss you"

Blaine turned at the sound of Kurt's voice.

"I miss you, Blaine. I miss the beautiful boy that sang 'Teenage Dream' to me back in high school. I miss the beautiful man I never stopped loving since he sang that song to me. I love you, Blaine"

"I..." Blaine spoke softly still trying to find the strength to form complete sentences. Kurt still loved him. "I love you too"

Kurt made his way toward Blaine ready to just kiss that beautiful half smile right off his face but Hunter shifting and snoring softly in Blaine's arms brought them both back to reality.

"Can you stay or do you have to drive back to New York tonight?"

"I was going to stay with my Dad and go back in the morning"

"Come back to the apartment so we can talk?" Blaine shrugged with a hopeful half smile. This was a big moment for their relationship, one that couldn't be entered without a long talk. There was a lot to figure out between the couple.

XXXXX

Blaine answered the door before Kurt even had the chance to finish knocking, hoping it wouldn't wake Hunter. He was usually a deep sleeper but he had his moments.

"Hi" Blaine smiled

"Hi"

The pair stared at each other with that goofy loved up smiles painted on their faces. While they had a lot to talk about, it was the first time they had all their feelings out in the open. It had been a long time since they'd felt this way about each other and it was exciting in a way.

"Come in" Blaine laughed as he realised Kurt was standing out in the hall. Stepping away from the door, he gave Kurt to enter before closing the door behind him. He led him through to the kitchen and offered him a drink. "I could make cocoa?"

"Can I help?" Kurt smiled as he laid his coat over the chair and made his way into the kitchen. Pulling out everything they needed, Blaine set Kurt a task and they made the cocoa together in a comfortable silence. They danced around each other effortlessly like they had been doing it for years.

Catching Blaine as he reached for the marshmallows, Kurt held the other man by the hips and stared into his beautiful golden eyes. They may have aged a little over the last 7 years but those liquid gold orbs never changed. Taking a deep breath, Kurt cupped Blaine's cheek with one hand and pressed their lips together softly. It was warm, familiar and brief. It was a reminder of what they missed for seven years and what they could look forward to if this relationship worked once again.

"I missed that" Kurt smiled as he pulled away, running his thumb over Blaine's cheek gently.

"What are we doing, Kurt?" Blaine sighed softly and rested his head on Kurt's shoulder

"Letting our cocoa go cold?"

Blaine lifted his head and gave Kurt his 'You know what I mean' glare. Picking up their mugs, Blaine took them to the living room and sat down on the couch. Joining him, Kurt worried for how this conversation would turn.

"How are we... We can't just... You live in New York and I'm here" Blaine stated with a shrug "You can't commute 4 hours to work and I can't leave the restaurant. Hunter's school is here"

"Then maybe it's time for that career change I've been looking for" Kurt smiled and watched Blaine's face fall into an expression of utter confusion "I love to sing, I do but performing doesn't mean as much to me as it used to" he shrugged "You know how I've been sketching clothes since high school..." Blaine nodded "When I came to DC that first night I saw you, I originally came to tell my Dad about some labels that were interested in some of my work"

"And..."

"And I've had a lot of positive feedback. I've had a few job offers"

"Won't that keep you in New York?" Blaine asked assuming that this explanation didn't have the happy ending he was hoping for.

"Not when a label based in Baltimore wants some of my designs to add to a collection they're sending to Paris fashion week" he smiled hoping Blaine caught on.

"Paris?"

Kurt let out a soft laugh and cupped Blaine's defeated face in both hands "Paris was not the closest city to DC that I mentioned in that sentence" he smirked "Baltimore is only an hour away. It's an easier commute than Europe or even New York"

"Would you really do that?"

Taking Blaine's hands in his, Kurt brought them to his lips and kissed them softly "I would move mountains to have the chance to be with my family again. I love you Blaine and I'm sorry it took so long to realise that you and Hunter were the best things to ever happen to me"

"You're serious about this?"

Kurt leant into Blaine capturing his lips in a passionate and emotional kiss. He needed Blaine to know how much he loved him and how much he wanted to be in both his and Hunter's lives for the rest of their lives. He wanted this more than anything and he was going to do everything in his power to have it.

"Please give me a chance"

"Only because I love you" Blaine smiled and kissed Kurt once again.

**The End!**

**Ok not really, there will be an Epilogue.**

**Your thoughts?**


	16. Epilogue

**Thank you again for all the reviews and favourites, you're all amazing! So this is the end, I hope you enjoy it.**

It took a month.

A month before Kurt finished up his run of his show and said goodbye to New York, another month until Blaine was comfortable with him moving into the apartment, a month until they had sex for the first time in 7 years, another month and Hunter let 'Papa' slip and at the end of another month was the little boy's eighth birthday.

While Blaine offered Hunter special birthday activities like taking his friends rock climbing or bike riding, the little boy always wanted a party at the restaurant with all his family and friends. The invite list grew a little this year with Burt, Carole, Finn and Rachel joining in the celebration.

Burt was probably most excited about spending this birthday with his grandson. The first of many, he was glad to have his family back together again and to have his son happier than he'd ever seen him before.

"This place looks great, thank you Kurt" Blaine smiled as he wrapped his arm around Kurt's waist. Standing by the bar, they were both admiring Kurt's bright decorations and all the happy kids dancing around.

"Anything for Hunter" he insisted "I want this birthday to be one to remember"

"It already is" Blaine smiled and turned to face Kurt. Taking his hands, he linked their fingers together squeezing gently "My son has always been a bright and happy child but that bubbly personality has just multiplied with you around. This is how I always wanted it"

"This is how it's going to stay"

Blaine brought Kurt closer and pressed their lips together softly. He wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of his life with his beautiful little family. The last three months in particular had been better than before Kurt left. They were building the best possible future for their family.

"Papa come play!" Hunter called from where he and his friends were getting ready to play 'Pass the Parcel'. Peking a quick kiss to Blaine's cheek, Kurt made his way over to help the kids. Blaine watched on with a fond smile before refilling the candy bowls and making sure there was enough food for everyone.

As Blaine laid out more fairy bread and fruit skewers on the top of the bar, a figure coming through the door caught his attention. Blaine's breath caught in his throat as Austin made his way toward the bar with a box wrapped in superhero paper.

"Hi Blaine"

"Austin, what are you doing here?"

Austin held the present out for Blaine to take as if it answered his question "I wouldn't miss his birthday"

"I thought you moved back to Dallas" Blaine sighed softly really not in the mood to deal with this today.

"I did but I came back to see Hunter"

"It's Annie's birthday this weekend too isn't it?" the young father chuckled remembering that Austin's niece's birthday was only a couple days before Hunter's. Blaine knew Hunter couldn't be the only reason Austin came back. It definitely wasn't for Blaine himself, he knew that.

"I'd like to see Hunter"

"Wasn't it you that said a clean break was for the best?" Blaine shrugged "Hunter is having fun with his friends; I'll let him know who the present came from"

"That's not fair Blaine..."

"I appreciate the present and the thought but what's not fair to my son is putting through any more change and confusion. I have put him through enough since Christmas, he's settled now"

"Is he... Is he happy now?" Austin asked softly. He still adored that little boy and all he wanted was for him to be happy.

Blaine nodded "He is. He's doing well at school, Mr Fitzpatrick is helping him with his piano and Kurt's teaching him to sing"

"So Kurt..." Austin began until he realised Kurt was actually in the restaurant. Peering over to the other side of the room, he could see Kurt talking to Sam and Mercedes while the kids played 'Pass the Parcel' "As long as he's good to you and Hunter. After everything he did, he needs to know how lucky he is"

Blaine nodded as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. He was thankful that Austin wasn't picking a fight but it was hard for Blaine to see him. The clean break had been just what they needed and now that they were in front of each other, Blaine was struggling. If having Austin here was having this effect on Blaine, he couldn't imagine how Hunter would react.

"I should get back to the party. Take care of yourself Austin" Blaine smiled weakly and picked up the present before making his way over to stack it with the many others.

Kurt had been watching Blaine and Austin's interaction ready to step in if need be. He didn't expect it to escalate into an argument but he wanted to support Blaine if he needed it. Noticing Austin watch Hunter once Blaine walked away, Kurt knew the young doctor still cared for the little boy.

Kurt picked up a candy bag slipping away from the party and followed Austin out of the restaurant. "Austin!" he called out as he jogged toward the doctor. He handed him the candy bag with a smile "Hunter wanted you to have this. Thank you for coming by"

Austin took the bag fiddling with the tag before looking up at Kurt "Blaine is a good man and you're very lucky to be given this chance. Don't screw it up"

"Those two are my whole world; I'm going to spend the rest of my life making them happy"

"Good"

Kurt bid Austin farewell before making his way back into the restaurant. Heading toward Blaine, he pressed a soft kiss to his boyfriend's temple.

"Where'd you go?" Blaine asked curiously

"Just wanted to make peace" he smiled and wrapped an arm around Blaine's waist pulling him closer "I love you, Blaine"

"I love you too"

**Your thoughts?**

**Now that this is over, what will I write now? Have any ideas? I'd love to hear any prompts you've got. **


End file.
